I bought this at the H-Mart in Metuchen, NJ. The label didn't give me much of an idea of what to expect; all I knew was that it was Taiwan-grown black tea and was inexpensive. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this quickly became one of my favorite teas for daily drinking. I highly recommend it and would gladly buy it again.

The dry leaf is flakey looking, fine, and lightweight relative to the amount of space it takes up. It smells typical for a black tea, with a bit more fruity notes. It reminds me a little bit of Turkish teas.

The brewed cup is rich, dark, and its aroma is quite complex: malty, fruity, and with strong notes of wood, and faint hints of wintergreen. Flavor is very bold, but with a softness that enables me to brew this tea super-strong if and when I want. The amount of astringency in this is perfect; just enough to give the tea body and a certain edge, but never too much that it seemed harsh.

The overall character of the cup is somewhat intermediate between what I think of as typical for a Ceylon tea and a typical Chinese black tea like Keemun. It has a brighter, fresher, more cooling character than most Chinese teas, but a softer, warmer character than most Ceylon and other British-style black teas.

I liked this tea whether I brewed it strongly or mildly: for a strong cup I recommend a heaping teaspoon of leaf (use a little more than you're used to because the leaf is a bit bulky and light) and steeping 7-8 minutes. For a milder cup, I recommend using the same amount of leaf but only a 3 minute steep. If brewed this way, I was able to resteep for a second cup.

This tea was good for hot or cold weather, and I never tired of drinking it! Great price; it's hard to get tea of this quality without getting into the pricier artisan teas.

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