I bought a cup of this from a Dunkin Donuts and liked it, so I bought a box to brew at home. The sachets are large and each contains 3g of finely-chopped tea. The box doesn't say which teas are in the blend (other than "from around the World"), but the tea looks orthodox rather than CTC.

The brewing tea has a strong aroma. It's mostly vegetal and earthy, smelling of composting oak leaves. It tastes like a Ceylon or a late flush Darjeeling. There's a reasonably strong, but pleasant bitterness and a strong astringency. The combination reminds me of unsweetened cocoa. I also taste bitter, green vegetables, like spinach or beet greens. There's very little malt or sweetness to balance the bitter astringency making the tea taste a bit unbalanced. I'm enjoying this tea a great deal, but I've said before that I rather like bitter tea.

Keep in mind that the tea is strong and the sachet contains more tea than teabags usually do in the U. S. You may want to try a shorter steep (especially if you like resteeping) or a larger cup or mug than normal. Even after four minutes for the first cup, though, I got a second cup that was more flavorful than I get out of most teabags on their first try.

As Alex noted previously, this tea is overpriced. It's definitely one of the better bagged teas available, but at $10, it's also one of the most expensive. A $7.49 box of Numi Breakfast Blend is comparable or better.

Add your own review

Login or Sign Up to comment on this review.