Without a doubt the best Indonesian tea I've sampled. Most like Yunnan teas, but a bit of its own thing: strong and black but with a slightly lighter body.

The dry leaf, which consists of short pieces of leaf, mostly golden in color and beautifully curled, has a strong aroma, like rye malt with a hint of spicy notes.

Brews a medium-bodied cup with a pronounced, crisp bite to it. Aroma is strongly malty and a bit vegetal but the character is lighter than other equally malty teas (like an Assam). There are some deep notes of dried fruit, a little like prunes, and a hint of a skunky undertone. The finish is a lot like a Yunnan tea and I think where I most noticed the resemblance, although the aroma also reminds me of Yunnan teas in certain ways.

I preferred brewing for 3 minutes using a teaspoon of leaf. I didn't like this tea as much when brewed more strongly. 5 minutes and a bit more leaf brought out some harshness, without adding much complexity to the aroma.

If steeped only for 3 minutes, resteeps well if using a very long (8+ min) second steep. I found the second cup to be bold and flavorful, but not as complex.

An impressive tea, the best Indonesian tea I've tried yet. Although not quite at the level of the very top-tier strong black teas I've tried from China, India, or Kenya, this was up there. I strongly recommend this if you have yet to try a top-quality tea from Indonesia.

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