An unexpectedly top-notch tea, unlike anything else I've tried. I'm always incredibly curious to try teas from a new country or region, and I was super excited to try this one, since there are very few teas grown in the Americas. Normally, I approach these sorts of teas more as an interesting novelty, not expecting to discover one of my all-time favorites, and I'm often disappointed, but this tea astonished me with its quality.

The dry leaf of this smells amazing and intriguing...it is a little like some of the best Kenyan teas I've had, and it hints at some of the best black-tea blends, like a very high end Ceylon or English Breakfast. The aroma is deeply vegetal, and there are hints of familiar notes, like malt, flowers, and wintergreen, but the combination of aromas is singular. I could tell just by smelling it that this is going to be one of the best teas I've ever tried.

Sure enough, the brewed cup delivers...and wow. The cup is very aromatic and has a honey-like sweetness. There are hints of olive in the aroma, malt, flowers, and cooked vegetables. Mysterious and multifaceted. As I drink more of it, spicy notes come out.

I found this a tea to savor. I liked drinking it slowly: even though its flavor was smooth and mellow, it had an aromatic intensity as well as a certain potency.

Resteeps well. I like doing a 3 minute first infusion and an 8-9 minute second infusion. The second cup is less interesting, but aromatically very different. It has notes of bitter chocolate and reminds me a lot of a Ceylon OPA. The flavor is also different, the sweetness is gone and the cup is mostly savory and bitter, but pleasantly so, and there is a slightly edgy astringency. This second cup tastes darker even though the color of the cup is similar.

I served this tea to a number of people and, in spite of the heavily vegetal aroma, I found it had a very universal appeal: everyone I have served it to has liked it.

I am really impressed and I am eager to try the green tea from this same operation. I'm curious if this is one of many high-quality teas from Colombia, a tea producing scene that I know next to nothing about, or if it's a singular tea. Either way, at this price it's a steal and I'd recommend it to all black tea enthusiasts, whether or not you have discerning tastes.

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