Dry leaf has beautiful, intact wiry leaf with golden tips, and a mild aroma of rye malt and fruit.

The brewed cup is very dark, but not as aromatic as I'd like. The aroma is mostly fruity, and also suggests rye malt, but the aroma is weak, and the flavor is also somewhat weak. Although this tea is smooth, I think it has little else going for it. Pleasant, lightly peppery finish characteristic of Yunnan black teas.

I tried brewing a second cup, and it retained the pleasant rye malt aroma, but was weak and bland. I like the aroma of this tea, I just want it to be much stronger.

The second tea from Joseph Wesley to disappoint, although not as much as the Assam. It can be brewed more strongly than the Assam though, without getting as bitter. Okay, but not what I'd expect for a tea of this price. In this price range, I've had mind-blowing Yunnan gold teas.

I remain puzzled by the huge disparity in quality between the teas I've sampled so far from Joseph Wesley: this and the Assam were quite poor (although I definitively prefer this to the Assam), whereas the Bai Lin Congfu, Lapsang Souchong, and Keemun were among the best black teas I've ever tried.

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