The commercial description of this tea is pretty grandiose...it makes it sound like a masterpiece of blending, and I would say it's not.

To me, this is a classic but somewhat run-of-the-mill blend that is enjoyable but stands out in no way. I would not describe it as complex, although it's a good bit more complex, and more tasty overall, than the same tea in tea bags. I've drunk it several times in different settings, and it's always fine, but falls short of good enough for me to want to buy it on my own.

Flavor is robust, a bit harsh though, especially if brewed more strongly, and harsh both in being slightly more bitter than I prefer, and more astringent. The aroma is a little weak; I find not strong enough relative to the harshness, so I can't quite ever brew it to satisfaction.

I think this tea is a bit expensive, overpriced. Compare to Ahmad Tea; hands down I prefer any of Ahmad's loose-leaf pure black teas to this one, the closest in overall flavor or character is probably the Ceylon, but I'd take either of their Assam's or the other Ceylon OPA. All of them are well under half the price of this one. For $5 for 100 grams, the typical price of Twinings' loose-leaf tea, you can buy some much higher-end teas. Upton Tea Imports' catalogue is literally swimming with quality black teas in this price range.

I'll gladly drink this over most of Twinings' tea bags and most other mainstream tea bag brands, but I would never buy it. And I think Twinings could up their game a bit and keep this blend in a similar price range, at least if they were catering to people with tastes similar to mine. Perhaps this is made for people who take their tea with milk; I always drink mine plain.

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