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I received this in a gift sampler from my boss while she was traveling overseas.

I’m a little worried as I sniff this tea. No one else’s reviews mention this being smoky. And in the sampler, it was packaged close to both a Lapsang and a Russian Caravan. I wonder if this has been contaminated by them. That would be a shame.

Anyway, it comes out to a very rich, dark color that warns me that this tea is not kidding around. Like Stoo said, I prefer black teas from China and not India, so I’m a little hesitant. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised before. And here, I am pleasantly surprised again. This has a very nice malty, satisfying flavor. It is a little bitter, but not in an oppressive way. There is a hint of smokiness, but it tastes like it’s supposed to be there? I can’t tell, really, but I like it. I find myself missing the sweet potato and honeyed bread flavors of Chinese black teas, but this is still a nice wakeup cup.

This could benefit from a shorter steep time, I think. I’ll go with maybe 2 and a half or 3 minutes next. I also need to make a mental note to stop using 4 tea bags per 24 ounce tumbler of black tea. It comes out too strong. 3 should be my new rule of thumb.