Like TastyBrew, I passed this over when doing my free samples because the descriptor ‘smoky’ typically scares me away. But I’m really really glad they included this, because it’s really lovely.
The dry leaf smells kind of cocoa, sweet wood, and plums. It didn’t smell quite like, but was really evocative of an aged Merlot.
I brewed this up western style, with just under 2 teaspoons at 205, for 4 minutes for my 9 oz cup.
The steeped aroma changes into something warmer and sweeter, still a little plummy smelling, but also has a lovely earthiness to it and cocoa. I could sit here and smell this all day. Yum. The taste was naturally sweet, with a wonderful toasted nuttiness and slightly fruity notes that hung somewhere between peach and plum. There’s also a definite cocoa hint in here too that tails the end of the sip. I’m not getting anything I’d call smokey, but definitely roasty toasty and warming.
This is an awesome introduction to Yezi Tea and I can’t wait to try the rest of my samples. I’m pretty sure there’s definitely going to be an order from this.