This was the first tea I've tried from Yunnan Sourcing to (relatively) disappoint. Perhaps it's just not suited to my tastes, and it's not bad, but I thought it failed to live up to the high expectations I have come to develop for this company.

This tea had both a different appearance and aroma from what I am used to for teas from Yunnan. The leaf is wiry and jet black, and its aroma is complex and has many different layers. The first whiff to escape the bag when I open it is sort of dusty and spicy. Underneath that is a strong and sweet aroma, resembling baked goods and spice that doesn't seem as volatile, like I really need to inhale deeply to detect it. The smell suggests a tea that would be sweet and subtle.

The brewed cup is much richer in aroma than I had expected. It has a strong aroma of cinnamon. The flavor is balanced, but sweeter than most teas and low in bitterness. There is a toasted aftertaste that is a bit oolong-like, also reminiscent of Taiwanese Hong Yue (Ruby Black) teas. The finish also reminds me a bit of the smell of a burning candle. The body, however, is somewhat thin, especially relative to the strength of the aroma and flavor.

Upon resteeping, I found this tea was less aromatic than the first cup, and it acquired a metallic taste. The second cup wasn't bad, but it had less complexity and was forgettable, but on top of this it still had that off aroma that I found objectionable about the first steep.

I enjoyed this tea, but I found it had too many deficiencies for me to really consider it among top-quality teas. It was thin bodied, I disliked the burnt / candle-like aroma in the finish, and it did not resteep particularly well.

One thing I find particularly strange about this is how my impression of it does not line up with the reviews on Yunnan Sourcing's website. Reviewers alternatively describe it as "concentrated", "robust", "quite strong" and "high power". I'm not really getting any of this. To me it tasted like you had taken a Taiwanese Hong Yue and removed much of its body and punch. It tastes like something is missing.

I would not recommend this one. Yunnan Sourcing also sells a tea, "High Mountain Red Ai Lao Mountain Black Tea" which had all the qualities I liked about this tea, but without most of the downsides, and it's only slightly more expensive, I think offering much greater value.

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