Aroma is mellow and smooth, with a pleasant woody quality. Stronger in flavor than Upton's similarly-priced non-roasted Tie Guan Yin's. I found this tea to be subtle; it grew on me, and I enjoyed the last cup I made from the sample significantly more than the first. Oddly, I find that much of the flavor sinks to the bottom of the cup.

I found Upton's brewing recommend worked well, but I also found that this tea is not greatly affected by brewing temperature. Using boiling water destroys a bit of the complexity, but still yields a tasty tea.

I also find that this tea works very well for multiple infusions. Even brewing the first for 3 minutes, I was able to get three infusions, with the second almost as strong and complex as the first, and the third weaker in flavor but still quite aromatic. I settled on brewing two cups for 3 minutes and leaving the third to brew a long time (most of the bitterness is gone by that point). If you like stronger cups you might instead try 4-5 minutes, followed by a second, very long infusion.

I think this tea can compete on an equal footing with many higher-priced teas. It's rare that I find such an inexpensive tea that is so good for multiple infusions.

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