Thanks again to Jim, who brought this to me from Tanzania. I tried this side-by-side with the Tanzanian Green Label Tea. Although both are dark, finely-broken black teas from Tanzania, the two are surprisingly different.

The dry leaf of this tea is a little more uniform in size, slightly darker, and slightly less aromatic, with a mild, pleasant aroma, slightly malty and fresh. The leaf, although finely processed, is in bigger pieces than that of the Green Label tea, and this becomes evident in noticing that a lot less of it slips through the strainer.

Although its aroma suggests harshness, when brewed, this tea produces a rich, dark cup that is surprisingly smooth. The aroma is a little malty, more like rye malt than typical for African teas, and there are some woody, spicy, and herbaceous notes. The finish tastes a bit like rice or porridge. I found both this and the green label to be surprisingly complex for mechanically-processed teas, yet their aromatic notes were very different.

This tea is good for adding milk to, but I find it still smooth enough on its own. I find it a little easier to brew than the green label but when brewed ideally, I find I prefer that other tea because it has more of the wintergreen notes that I love in strong black teas.

I remain consistently impressed with the teas coming out of Tanzania.

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