Dry, this tea smells vaguely of cocoa and molasses. It's understated, but pleasant. While brewing, the aroma is of light brown sugar, but not heavy. The cocoa from earlier is still there, but less pronounced than I expected based on the initial aroma and experience with other Sri Lankan teas. There's a faint note of raisins.

The tea is surprisingly bitter and astringent for Sri Lankan tea. While most supermarket Ceylons were selected for mildness, that's not the case here. The mellow cocoa and sugary maltiness that are typical of Sri Lankan teas are present, so it's pretty recognizable as a Ceylon. The pronounced bitter astringency was unexpected, though, and perhaps a bit offputting. Bitterness seems to be a hallmark of Twinings tea, though, and perhaps intentionally so.

In short, I'm conflicted. The tea is much more flavorful and complex than other bagged teas that it's competing with, but it's somewhat more bitter than I would prefer.

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