THE RUNDOWN
1) Pre-taste: Good steep. 3 minutes and it ran clear. Lots of great scents coming from this. As for color, it’s dark but not too dark.
2) First taste: Good mouthfeel, not great. There’s a muddled cinnamon confused with the chocolatey flavor. And as with her other almond oolong blend, I’m missing the almond or it’s very quiet.
3) Second taste: It’s warming, without any added “mulling” type spice like clove, which is nice. I guess I expected a little more from the cinnamon and the cocoa nibs because right now I get Irish breakfast, I get a hint of the malty assam, but not much in the way of the food flavors.
4) Final thought: You know, this smelled great before I brewed it, as loose. And when I brewed it smelled great too. But scent isn’t everything. Maybe the proportions in my sample were off, but the leaf scent didn’t represent the taste adequately. I liked the warming taste of it, but I wish it had more of a punch of the food flavors.
Flavors: Chocolate, Cinnamon, Malt, Spices