After hearing all the hype about these, how could I resist? Since people around here seem to think the more balls the better (hehe) I decided to start with four of them in my mug. The dry odor is incredibly cocoa-y but there’s also more than a trace of that tanin/smoke scent underneath that I get from my Yunnan Jig tea. I suppose it makes sense since both teas are from that region.
When I add the water the ‘Yunnan Jig’ smell becomes stronger, although if you sniff carefully you can still detect the cocoa. It was so fascinating watching the balls slowly unfurl in the water like a dark sea anemone.
The brew is very dark and rich-looking. Upon first sip it seems to taste quite like a milder version of Yunnan Jig aswell, but then the cocoa hits you in the back of the mouth. It’s not like drinking say Adagio’s Chocolate Chip tea; the flavour is much more subtle and it’s more like raw cocoa powder to me than actual chocolate.
