“If I were a coffee drinker easing into the world of tea, I’d like this,” I thought as I sniffed the aromas of my freshly brewed cup of Upton TI69: Jolotigo Estate Orthodox Java BT. Richly tannic and woody smells were evident in the leaves after brewing (it’s wise to use an easily-cleaned strainer with this tea, since the leaf pieces are rather small), so I was surprised when I tasted the cup without milk and found the tea tasted so mild. I added milk to tone down the tannins and that subdued most of the flavor; even though my cup was a good strong color, my milky tea tasted more like tea-ish milk. It was nice of Upton to send this to me as a free sample with my recent order, but this is not my cup of tea.
Flavors: Tannin, Wet wood