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I was really lookiing forward to tasting this tea. Upon opening this sample, I see multi- hued, tippy leaves that smelled oh so naturally sweet, with a chocolatey, maltiness. Steeped using info below the wet leaves smelled of woods— like acorns & fresh autumn leaves, with a light earthiness….just amazing! Even wet, I could see different brown hues in the leaves.The cup color was a lighter honey brown, and the aroma was honey sweet, with a mild earthiness in the background. I let the cup cool before tasting, and was rewarded with amazing honey sweetness on the tongue. After swirling the tea in my mouth, I tasted mild earth notes with oak like woods on the back of the tongue and aftertaste. Such a delicious and tasteful cup!

Steeping a second cup for 5 minutes resulted in a slightly darker cup, with more earthy aromatics in the leaves and cup, while still smelling honey sweet to lesser degree. The taste was more earthy, with the honeyed sweetness more in the background. The wood notes noted in the first cup were now slightly noticeable (if at all).

As you can see, this is a visually stunning tea consisting of the full leaf and buds. Aromatics and flavors are great…changing with different steep times! A fantastic tea all around!! With one more cup in my sample, I’ll enjoy it later today, with plans of a bigger purchase in the near future. :))

Cupped & Reviewed: Friday, December 16, 2011.