This was the most disappointing pure tea I've ever tried from Harney & Sons.

Dry leaf not very aromatic, but the aroma is pleasant. The leaf is pretty, with fine wiry pieces, fairly finely broken...the faint aroma suggests spice and dried fruit, like fig or date.

The brewed cup is surprisingly lacking in aroma. I'm getting the dried fruit, like fig, and a bit of stewed celery. When brewed more strongly, there are some notes of bitter chocolate that I feel make this tea a lot more enjoyable, but it still doesn't really stand out.

I preferred using a heaping teaspoon and brewing for 5 minutes. This resulted in a very dark cup that was a little bitter. It doesn't taste or feel particularly strongly caffeinated. This might be a good tea for late afternoon or early evening if you want something dark and rich without keeping you awake at night.

Overall though I'd pass on this one, it didn't impress me. It was the combination of the weakness of the aroma, with the fact that it became bitter and astringent if brewed more strongly, that made me dislike it. I did find there were some subtleties in the aroma when I used a lot of leaf and a long steep, but this made the cup too harsh for my tastes.

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