This is another box of tea from iherb.com. I'd about given up on finding a decent decaf black tea, but I had a discount and so the price was right.

These are the loose, tagless tea bags typical of Ireland and the UK, containing 3g of tea each. The dry tea smells surprisingly strong for a decaf, but as others have noted, there's a component of the aroma that's "off." To me, it smells like wet paper or cardboard and is common to most decaffeinated black tea.

I steeped for four minutes in boiling water. I let other decaf teas steep far longer, often ten or fifteen minutes to extract every smidgeon of flavor. I tried with the Barry's earlier, which resulted in an unpleasantly bitter brew, but which left me optimistic for this time.

The steeping aroma is just about like other "everyday" irish teas. It's malty and tannic, reminiscent of dry oak leaves. There's a faint shrimp smell that I've noticed in other decafs, but it's muted enough that not a top note.

The flavor is full-bodied and balances bitter. It's tannic and earthy, like a mixture of new and old oak leaves. Unfortunately, there's little malt. The bitterness is pleasant, though, and lingers on the sides of the tongue. The flavors in the finish are slightly bitter and woody, like cherry bark. Overall, it's rather flat compared to any of Barry's caffeinated offerings, but it's better than quite a few caffeinated teas I've had. This is really good for a decaf, especially for those that like bitter tea. I actually got a weak second steep out of it.

Barry's US website sells an 80-count box for $5.88 plus shipping, but I paid $3.46 (regular $4.44) for a 40-count shipped from iherb.com. That's a little cheaper than Bigelow teas, so excellent for a decaf that tastes like tea.

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