This tea has never been a big favorite of mine. Shortly after Verdant first started selling this tea I bought 4 oz based on their tasting notes alone and I’ve still got most of the bag left these many years later. It’s not a bad tea by any means, just a little flat to me. It’s got some honey sweetness, some malted grain, and a little hint of smoke and minerality.
However, I had such a fun time brewing this tea today. I finally got my gongfu setup at work finished, so I got to share a session of this with my tea appreciating coworkers and it was a treat to share gongfu tea with someone for once. It turned out that while this black tea underwhelmed me somewhat it was an eye opening treat for people who think black tea means British breakfast. It was also one of the only times where I went without scale or timer and simply let the tea speak to me, and it was by far the best session I’ve ever had with this tea. A lesson I’ll remember for the future: don’t get so caught up on the process you forsake being present to make the best cup of tea you know how!
Flavors: Honey, Malt, Mineral, Smoke
