The dry leaf of this just smells like Lapsang Souchong. It also has an ununusual, hetereogeneous shape. One tea, presumably the souchong, has very long, wiry leaves, whereas the others are much shorter. This makes me wonder if the leaves would separate if stored in a large container and shaken around enough.

Brews a very dark cup. Flavor is very balanced, but not the aroma. Before sipping, the aroma is still dominated by pine smoke, but when sipping, the smokiness is a little more subdued. There's still more of the strong lapsang souchong aroma than I'd ideally like. I can detect a hint of the Keemun in there, but am struggling to detect the Darjeeling. Overall the aroma was too flat and simple for me.

Contrast with Brooklyn Tea Blends' Caravan Triad, which has a much more subtle smokiness and a hugely multifaceted aromatic profile.

This tea resteeped well, and I found the second cup, which I steeped for a long time, was a bit more interesting. It had notes of clove in the aroma. It doesn't feel particularly strongly caffeinated.

This was interesting to try, but it failed to impress me hugely and I would probably not get it again. I think this blend would be most enjoyable to people who really like lapsang souchong but want a tea with the smokiness dialed back ever-so-slightly.

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