When you wish upon a star…
For me this tea was a completely new venture, I have not had a Ceylon nor have I had anything with Star Anise in it so I was really venturing into the unknown here, and I am quite glad I did.
Dry this tea has an overpowering raw coconut smell mixed with something that is familiar to my nose but for the life of me I can’t describe what exactly it is. The smell is powerful almost to the point it put me off the tea I was concerned it would turn out very strong…WRONG!
There are big tea black tea leaves contrasted by even larger white coconut shavings and the Star Anise adds the final touch making it an impressive tea to look at. Steeping produces the same powerful aroma as the tea has dry and let me tell you it lingers, I cooked with garlic and I could still smell the tea as if it was steeping long after I had cleaned my steeper out.
The final brew is golden brown and it really loses the pungent aroma in exchange for a softer and sweeter smell. It has a nice soft coconut taste with an exotic spice note added by the Star Anise. Overall this is certainly not a tea you can judge by the smell, as it tastes completely different in comparison to the dry smell. I made a trip to DT today specifically for this tea, and it was certainly worth it.
