Dark brown long leaves make this hard for measuring but I’m becoming quite apt at eyeballing the measurements. Dry it smells like maple syrup, honey, sandalwood, and orchid. Wet the tea smells of roasted/grilled stone fruit, like peaches, and a spiced chai latte. The infusion is rather light and smells of roasted fruit, honey, and orchid.
Taste, the first sip I get is a sweet roasted fruit with maple syrup or brown sugar drizzled on top, yum. It seems very juicy with a roasted quality and a warm sweetness that I can only describe as real maple syrup.
In the aftertaste I get the floral creamy orchid and a hint of spices like a chai latte. It seems there is a hint of melon but I’m not sure. It’s that juicy quality again but it’s different from the stone fruit I was getting in the main sip. There is also a nice silky texture on the tongue lasting and being more prominent in the aftertaste.
The leaves become more green than brown as I continue steeping and the wet leaves take on a more prominent roasted scent. I still am not detecting any sort of grapefruit notes. Around the third cup the spiciness becomes stronger and the sweetness starts to take a backseat along with the roasted notes. There is still some juiciness to the tea and definitely orchid notes. The orchid notes are now predominantly in the beginning of the sip though. Maple syrup notes are in the middle of the sip and there is a sort of tingling sensation on the tip of the tongue lasting into the aftertaste.
I received this as a sample with my order and I am not rating this one since this tea is not something I would normally drink, not quite to my taste. I can tell this is a wonderful tea, very smooth and complex and even for me not caring for darker teas like this, I would certainly not turn it down if someone offered me a cup.
Well this here proves you are a very fair reviewer! For not liking this style of tea much you sure made my mouth water! :)
Thank you Azzrian, I’m glad that it came off as a fair review.