A strong black tea with numerous fleeting complexities. I tried this tea together with two other Kenyan black teas sold by Harney and Sons, the Kaimosi CTC and Kangaita OP, and this tea seemed in between those two in overall characteristics, but it also seemed to be a more nuanced tea than either of them, and it grew on me more.

The dry leaf smells like a typical, strong, black tea, a little like an Assam, but there's a hint of a quality that suggests a fruity pastry with a buttery crust.

Upon brewing, the aroma comes alive even more. The cup smells a bit like jam or a pie with cooked fruit. Notes of dried fruit, clean stone, and a hint of wintergreen.

Rather muted initially, but somewhat astringent finish. I find that by the end of the cup, the finish is a little bitter, but no more than high-quality Assams. Like some other black teas, I found this tea tasted best when brewed with water at a full rolling boil, and when heating up the cup or teapot first.

Price is excellent, especially for a tea of such complexity. I found this tea initially didn't leave the biggest impression on me, but each time I drank it I liked it more and more, to where I think of it as a top-notch tea that competes against much pricier teas. Interestingly, I also recently tried a higher-grade and pricier tea from this same estate, sold by TeaGschwendner. It was similar. I think this tea offers better value--it's much less than one quarter the price, yet I think almost as good, maybe not quite as exceptional as that higher-grade tea, but still very good.

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