Very smoky, but in an exceedingly mellow way, totally unlike gunpowder or lapsang souchong. This tea has a remarkable smoothness to it, unlike any other green tea I've tried, and if it weren't for the smokiness I'd be tempted to describe it as creamy. Cool and clean tasting, yet without bitterness. Full-bodied, and a bit spicy. Exceedingly enjoyable!

The tuo cha's cannot be easily broken when dry, although they loosen quite a bit when brewed. I prefer brewing two cups to one tuo cha, about 3 minutes, as Upton recommends. However, I also had luck with briefer infusions using one per cup.

This tea can be infused over and over while retaining its character. I actually make the second infusion briefer than the first--as the leaves loosen they infuse more quickly. Brewing one cup per tuo cha, I was able to infuse the leaves five times, and honestly, I think there would have been more flavor left if I had tried more, since I was still brewing for less than 5 minutes.

Very inexpensive given the complexity and how this tea is good for multiple brewings.

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