An okay Irish Breakfast but overpriced, on the weak side, and I think not quite at the level of Octavia's other teas. Served in Velvet Sky Cafe in Jenkintown, I love this place and miss it so much!

The leaf is not super aromatic, but the brewed cup smells pleasant and strong. Richly malty aroma, with some earthy notes, a little dirty tasting, in a pleasant way. Flavor is bold, but I think that's because they brewed this tea very strongly. I think this is unusually smooth for an Irish Breakfast. Octavia describes this as "traditional" and I agree. They also reference a smoky note in the finish, and I also notice that, and like it very much.

Velvet Sky brews teas on the strong side, using more leaf than I would if left to my own devices, and the fact that this tea tasted just right to me, makes me suspect that it is actually on the weak / thin side, especially for Irish Breakfast teas, which are normally considered among the strongest-flavored and most full-bodied of black tea blends.

This was very enjoyable, but I'm not quite as impressed as with the other Octavia teas. I recall the Ceylon Estate and Nilgirir SFTGFOP as teas that wowed me, and I also think I slightly preferred the Ancient Yunnan and Afternoon Darjeeling to this one.

A little pricey. Compare to good Assams I've tried recently, such as from Mighty Leaf or Harney & Sons...this tea is in the same price range with some truly top-notch single-estate Assams...and disappoints relative to them.

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