As explained below, my score may be a bit unrepresentative on the low end, but only out of honesty on why. The quality of this product stands out, and it's one of the strongest flavored black teas I've had out of a bag. The base Kenyan tea, with finely chopped leaves, turns dark quickly and releases a somewhat bitter, noticeably astringent, dense tea flavor out into the water. Ginger, being a strong spice, balances that firmly, and Ajiri doesn't shortchange the quantity of either the spice or base tea (with numerous ginger pellets being visible in the bag). The dry-bag aroma is intense (I'd rate 5 if I liked ginger better), and a considerable amount of the smell is retained in the wet bag, despite how strong the in-cup flavor and aroma are. This is a product I respect more than I like, and that's a positive statement.

I tolerate ginger better as I age, but it's still not one of my favorite flavors. If I liked ginger a lot, this would be a very high rating, despite a tick of value still knocked off due to the high price (over $9 for a box). Nonetheless, if the idea of a well-balanced ginger-black tea with a potent kick appeals to you, especially given the charitable mission of the company involved, this product absolutely is worth a try.

[EDIT] The bags are a rectangular, fold-over style with a string and tag. About 2/3 of the bags in the box were not completely closed under one side or the other of the top fold, resulting in variable leakage of ingredients out into the tea. That was enough to delete one more star off "Value" from 3 to 2, given how expensive the tea is to begin with.

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