I received this as a sample once upon a time. The smell is mostly amazing, with a little bit of a funk going on—it doesn’t come through in the flavor (at least, after the first sip) so that’s a relief! By funk, I suppose I mean a sort of burnt, wet, mud going on. Maybe my glass teapot needs cleaned? Hrmph. That’s probably it.
The first steep I did was only for a few seconds (like, thirty). I usually don’t do shorter steeps, so I was surprised at how strong the tea was after only a quick dip. It’s smooth and malty and fantastic.
The second steep was my usual length—a couple minutes. It’s not bitter at all, which makes me very happy. Another fantastic tea from Verdant—if they can make me fall in love with Wulong, then it only make sense that I feel the need to rave endlessly about their other teas. What a perfect end to a cold day in the bitter freezer! I’ll just curl up right here with my journal, and my books, my tea cup, and my cat, and my fuzzy slippers… take that hypothermia!
I already have quite the selection of loose leaf plain black teas (thanks to Verdant, actually), so I will have to put this in the running for when I need more.
