Used more leaves and those of you who already follow me know that I have the bad habit of raising the rating after I tried it again and a previous critical review. Forgive me for my subjective inconsistency.
Back to the tea: this works Gong Fu or Western, making it pretty versatile. Bourbon is the strongest scent and taste that I get out of it, and drinking it is like drinking clean, liquid bourbon booze chocolate with hints of cherry and wood. Later on, the bourbon wears of and it progressively gets more woody in profile maintaining its sweetness. It can go on for several steeps until nothing but sweetness and cherry are left over.
In terms of roast, this tea is more medium to dark roast for an oolong. Some leaves are nice and green while others are fairly dark. The medium, woodsy profile was closer to a Gui Fei personally more than anything else. Actually, the woodsy profile was kind of like toasted or fried rice but boozy. So in short, Sake. The only tea that I’ve had comparable was Liquid Proust’s Dark Chocolate Oolong, which is one of my all time favorites.
Like I said before, I really do enjoy this tea. Josh selecting a tea close to one of my all time favorites is already astounding. The price still upsets me. I wish that I would have been smarter and asked for a sample, because I am glad that I tried it. I would probably get it in bulk if I had more income to dispose.
I do recommend a try for this, but the appeal is probably specific to bourbon or whisky lovers. Some people might otherwise think this tea is too weird for their palate, or wonderfully odd and exciting. The woodsiness of the oolong is the main deterrent. The medium body, versatility, and moderate caffeine amount are the welcoming crew. I also get to enjoy a boozy beverage without worry over the legal confines of age.
So, here’s what I’m going to do with my ounce. Savor a few cups for myself and for my friends. The rest I’ll include with a swap…Andrew, there’s a good chance some of this is going to you.
Flavors: Alcohol, Brown Sugar, Cherry, Cherry Wood, Dark Chocolate, Sake
Excellent description!