This was a dark, rich, smooth, and naturally sweet tea with a mysterious pungent aroma, which changed its character a lot resteeping.

Dry leaf is a fairly uniform brown, and has a strong and intriguing aroma, malty and suggesting sweetness, but very fresh and light.

As I pour the water, immediately a strong fruity smell, mostly suggesting grapes, emerges. There is a pungent, almost skunky note, which is not unpleasant, and is hard to describe. Unlike most Darjeelings, the grape aroma resembles concords a little more than muscat grapes. The aroma is also a little olive-like.

This tea did not retain its character on resteeping. After a first, 3-minute steep, the fruitiness was completely gone, and the second cup smelled and tasted very different. It was more herbaceous and had some of the dark, skunky notes still. The aroma was also spicy, and in a peculiar way, suggesting nutmeg and black pepper.

This second cup was enjoyable, but it was a completely different experience from the first. I found it full-bodied, crisp, and satisfying flavor-wise, especially relative to the typical second-steeps of Darjeelings, which often tend to be disappointingly thin and bland, even with some higher-quality teas. But the aromatic notes were mostly different.

I was impressed with this tea. It's different and interesting, although I can't see it having a universal appeal, as its aromatic qualities are a bit strange. The price is very good though. I recommend this for someone who wants to taste something novel.

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