This tea was a disappointment and I don't recommend it. I sampled and reviewed this tea some time ago but forgot to post the review.

Dry leaf consists of long, intact wiry leaves with a slightly dusty look, and smells very different from any other pouchong I've tried, an intense smell of jam or fruit preserves, like raspberry or strawberry. Underneath this aroma, which is somewhat fleeting, the leaf smells woody and toasty.

Flavor is bold, but the cup disappointed me in not being as aromatic as I had hoped. Tastes a lot like generic or lower-grades of oolong. A woody aroma is dominant.

Resteeps well; second cup is a little more like a typical pouchong, but still doesn't wow me.

I also found a lot of leaf was necessary to get a good flavor, which makes this tea (which I already think is a bit overpriced) offer even less value.

I had wanted Upton to carry a more affordable Pouchong for some time (I liked their TT92, but it was exorbitant), and I was excited to see this lower-priced offering. But I don't think it delivers the quality that I can get elsewhere--particularly from Ten Ren.

Ten Ren's third grade Pouchong is significantly cheaper than this, and I like it much better: it is lighter and greener, and has floral and vegetal notes that are absent from this tea. This tea has a darker roast and I find appeals to a different aesthetic, but it struck me as more generic, not much better than the generic oolongs I can pick up in any Chinese store.

So I think this one is pretty overpriced. Even among Upton's offerings, they have numerous other oolongs that are lower priced, and I think are just much better teas than this.

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