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This is supposed to be a black tea. It looks like a green tea, it smells like a green tea, and it comes from an estate that specializes in green tea. Does it taste like green tea?
Kinda.
It is very vegetal, with a strong perfume-y element as well, that makes it almost bitter. I brewed it as recommended and chucked the cup after three sips. This is not for me. It has all the elements of green tea that I tend to not enjoy, without the sweetness of green tea.
First true disappointment from Teabox.

Drinking this while listening to this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p024yqk3
Mozart’s Symphony no. 40 in G minor played from memory by the Aurora Orchestra during the wonderful BBC proms season that is going on right now.
What more could a person want (except for peace, and a few more hours of sleep)?

Was at work last night until midnight. At around 22:30 we started to here the “booms” of rockets fall. I really wanted to go home, but I couldn’t. Miserable feeling, and I couldn’t even leave my seat for long enough to brew a comforting cup of tea.
Was back at work at 8:30, and around 10:00, despite a round of back to back meetings, I took a break to brew an extra strong batch of this. I was good, but I needed something with even more of a kick – so next time York Tea or Covent Garden Tea will probably be what I choose.

One of my coworkers asked for some white tea, as he is trying to cut down on his caffeine intake. So this afternoon I offered him a selection of white teas, and he selected this one because he like the name. I was intoxicated by the deliciously sweet scent of the dry leaves, so I happily brewed us a batch. This white tea brews much darker than other, more delicate whites (silver needle, ya bao, bai mu dan), but is still a white tea. It is bready, with a hint of cucumber in its aftertaste, and a wonderful sweetness to it that still leaves a but of tanginess on the mouth. If you aren’t a white tea fan because of its generally underwhelming complexity and depth of flavour, then this tea may yet satisfy you. There are a lot of elusive flavours wafting in the background, inviting you to spend more time with them.

At the request of a coworker we had this builder’s brew today. A powerful tea which I can drink only with milk and sugar, as it is so strong. A decent morning brew.

This caddy is breathtaking. I saw that this tea was a blend of Darjeeling and Ceylon, thought to myself that that sounds unpromising, and still bought it (at a hefty price), because I just couldn’t resist the caddy. Also, I had just had afternoon tea in Fortums restaurant, with wonderful tea served in beautiful silver teapots, so I really wasn’t in any position to resist this tea.
I was faintly surprised by this tea. It’s actually decent. There is some astringency, but not much, and even a bit of sweetening gets rid of it, if you are sensitive to it. There are floral elements to this tea, but they are very muted – merely hints, not full blasts, as you can get from certain oolongs. Also present is the bright, “Teaness” of ceylon, but it too is subdued enough that even Ceylon haters will approve. The result is a delicate, light, complex brew that really does evoke the Edwardian era, with tea served in fine silver teapots on green lawns, and bees buzzing lazily in a gentle summer.
A tea for proper ladies and gentlemen.

Haven’t had this in a while. One of my favourite black teas, and I missed it. Glad to taste it again.

If you are wondering what this is, it is pure Osmanthus flowers. Golden tiny flowers that produce a greenish-golden brew, with a sweet, floral flavour. Zero caffeine, and no sweetener needed.
I wasn’t in the mood for this, so after two or three steeps I dumped the cup. Will give it another go when I’ve got more time on my hands.

Brewed a cup of this since I haven’t had it in a while. According to the blurb, this tea is made of “limited-edition leaves”. Marketing at its best.
It’s not a great Yunnan, and is grossly overpriced for its quality. Anything from Yunnan Sourcing that has “Yunnan” in its name will be better, and cheaper.
That being said, if this is the first and/or only Yunnan that you can get your hands on, it will give you a taste of some of what Yunnan teas have to offer. The chocolatey notes of a good Yunnan are there. It’s not astringent at all, but there is a unpleasant, almost metallic aftertaste to this tea that just shouldn’t be there.
Bottom line: save your money, buy better Yunnans elsewhere. You deserve it.

Had a satisfying cup of this this morning, and rebrewed it 5 more times for my tea loving coworkers.
This tea is gradually climbing up my “drank most” ladder in my Steepster cupboard, with good reason. So glad that I purchased it.