This is a weird tea. The dry leaves smell like chocolate and flowers, but as soon as water is added it smells like baked potatoes. It takes a while to brew: I usually end up brewing it for 6-7 minutes the first time and even longer for the next two infusions for a total of three cups.

The flavor is somewhat unusual for a black tea. Baked potatoes and cooked vegetables form the base of the tea's taste, with a bit of malt, bread, and a sweet chocolate note on top, finishing with plum and dark chocolate notes. It's a very mellow tea. However, it can be brewed as long as you want to make it stronger and bring out the chocolate. Unlike most black tea, it just doesn't get bitter or astringent no matter what you do with it. I once started brewing it and then forgot about it for a couple hours and it still tasted fine (aside from being cold, of course).

This is an interesting tea and a nice change from the types of black teas I'm used to. It makes me want to try more unsmoked lapsang souchong, but I probably won't buy this specific one again.

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