I thought this was going to taste like something out of a land mower, but it was really something that came out of a garden. The dry leaf was grassy, but floral, fresh, and very smooth like bamboo amidst its rocky scent. Because this was a sample of who know’s how many grams, I threw it into my mug strainer, and rinsed at 30 seconds. The second steep was one minute, than 2 minutes and thirty seconds, than whatever lazy time amount I left it in bordering on grandpa style. The notes of the dryleaf were there when brewed, but sweeter. The initial sip started off floral and spicy, going to something like sage in the mid sip, and ended in a sweet malty aftertaste. It was almost honey like, and the later, longer steeps turned into a full, but modest honey note that was barely juicy. If only it could linger a little longer. The bamboo florals, malt, and sage dominate overall, but they are still nicely accented. The tea could get a little bitter, but as bitter as any smooth black tea can be. The first few steeps were a little astringent, but the last few had little astringency.
If you have ever had a Tongmu Wu Yi tea, this has a lot of the same slightly different. It actually reminded me of one of the newer Taiwaneese Shan Cha black tea in its grassiness, but it was not quite as fruity. This tea is still hella good and would definitely be one of my picks for daily drinkers to those who like floral black teas. Some might be a little underwhelmed or weirded out by the grassiness. More experienced drinkers might be impressed with the notes, but might snub it for the more expensive stuff…nevermind this does compare to some of the higher quality teas I’ve had. I only liked the honey fragrance that this company offers slightly more.
