A first smell after the first steep it’s very earthy smelling. I think I oversteeped. The leaves expand quite a bit more than I first thought they would. Coloring is more of a white looking tea. Based on the first steep smell I was a little afraid of the taste BUT the first sip was totally unexpected!!!! It’s a soothing yet thirst quenching blend that is a bit sweet but flowery to taste. What a DELIGHT! I like it A LOT and A LOT MORE than I thought I would! Very, Very nice!