A very different green tea that was mellow and pleasing to drink, yet had some unusual aromatic notes.

The dry leaf is tightly rolled and looks a lot like an oolong to me. Just looking at the leaf, I'd have a hard time telling this apart from a modern green oolong, but it does smell more like a green tea.

Fascinating aromatic profile. At first it's a little like sencha, with that seaweedy, steamed vegetable aroma, but there's a surprising note of spearmint in there, and also hints of cinnamon. I am very familiar with brewing fresh spearmint, and it is striking how spearmint is present in the aroma of this tea.

Flavor is very mellow, with little bitterness and a hint of sweetness, and the mouthfeel buttery, oolong-like. Slightly (ever so slightly) more tangy than most oolongs, and a bit more umami (savory) or brothy.

Easily brews three infusions, all of which were delightful, although the leaves had little aroma left after the last steep.

I experimented with brewing temperature. This tea is easy to brew and is not hugely influenced by brewing temperature. It does not become bitter or develop "off" aromas if the water is too hot. But I did slightly prefer the results using lower temperature water; I think a little bit of the aromatic complexity may be lost at high temperatures.

Like many of the teas from Health & Tea, the price per ounce is high, but the value is pretty good when you consider how many steeps you get out of the leaf.

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