This tea stood out among the first several Assam green teas I sampled from TEAORB. I haven't tried the whole batch yet, not even half of it, but this is definitely my favorite so far.

The dry leaf is by far the most fragrant of the Assam greens I've tried. The smell is similar to the other teas: smoky, vegetal, and a bit nutty/toasty, but it was more potent and also more complex. The leaf is dark brown, very wiry, and completely intact.

Oddly, the brewed cup was less fragrant than the explosive aroma of the leaf led me to expect. The cup is pretty mellow overall, muted in flavor. Flavor is surprisingly sweet mid-sip, tasting a bit as if honey had been added, but becomes more sour and savory as I drink more of it. This tea's aroma is very hard for me to describe...it is full of fleeting notes but they sort of balance each other out with none dominating. One moment it smells fruity, another smoky, another vegetal, then spicy with notes of gingerbread. At times it's almost candy-like, but these qualities vanish into a strong flavor. There are even a few fishy notes, reminiscent of some Taiwanese Pouchong. Quite oolong-like.

The flavor is very pleasant...it's full but soft. As I drink the whole cup, it leaves a metallic aftertaste towards the end of the cup.

I found I liked using less leaf than recommended and a five minute initial steep, followed by a second, very long steep. Overall though, this tea was easy to brew and not very picky about brewing...brewed weakly it is still fairly satisfying, and brewed stronger, not overwhelming.

Drinking this tea really mellowed me out; it was comforting, the sort of tea I'd be more likely to drink in the afternoon.

The price is also very reasonable. To me, this tea is a great deal, given how much I liked it. It's the first tea of the batch that I can see wanting to drink regularly or in quantity.

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