Rare Leaves Single Origin Tea Mini Tin Sampler

I couldn’t get much of a scent from the dried leaves beyond “black tea,” so I was worried when I first opened the container. Then I smelled the steeped tea and lost all concern, and maybe my mind a little bit, because - WOW, this tea smells heavenly. I spent the entire time waiting for it to cool down just breathing it in with such intensity I started to feel like a crazy person. I was mostly (mostly) trying to put it into words for this review, though. The only thing I can think of (that does it remote justice) is the sweetest, most delicious malted grain you’ve ever smelled and/or tasted in your life. Then I had a sip.

It. Is. INCREDIBLE. That delicious malty-ness remains in taste - not at all like a beer or alcohol malt, though, and I struggle to compare it to anything. It’s not sweet, necessarily. Just… comforting. Warm. Like stepping inside from a sun-bathed meadow walk and tasting your grandma’s freshly baked bread on the air. (I’ve never experienced that in my life, but after drinking this tea, I feel as though I have). It has virtually none of the astringency of typical black teas, it is smooth and hydrating over the tongue.

August’s other rare leaf tea, Black Pearl, I recommended oolong lovers try for the experience. But THIS. This tea – I beg anyone and everyone to buy it for the taste. It IS worth the price. By FAR the most amazing single-leaf black tea I have ever tasted. In fact, maybe the most amazing tea I've tasted of any single-leaf OR blend. Buy this tea.…

I recognize the price of this tea isn't for the faint of heart, so I am going VERY in-depth on this review in case it helps someone make a decision. But for a TL;DR:

On first open, the dry tea has a two-note scent of musk at the back of your palate and a delicate fragrance at the front that reminds me of jasmine rice. The taste steeped is markedly different, losing the (very slight) floral fragrance to settle more on the deep roasted notes. It has a buttery, nutty kind of follow-through, like malted barley, and ends on the slightest twinge of a honeyed sweet note. Yes, it is delicious. No, it won't make you or the oolong-hater in your life change their mind about oolong. This tea definitively tastes like oolong. Very good, pristine quality oolong, but still oolong. For anyone else, if you are an oolong lover, I highly recommend splurging on this tea at least once for the experience.

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I was positively giddy to try this tea. Of "pure" teas, oolong is beaten only by pu'erh, in my opinion, in regards to complexity and synchronicity of flavors. But unlike pu'erh, that complexity won't hit you the very second it passes your lips. Rather, you need to take your time and savor and let the flavors build. This oolong is no different, though the roast definitely comes through immediately and gives the leading flavor for the rest of the notes to follow. After the first few sips, you start to get a lovely buttery-nutty flavor which in turn after another few sips and/or resteeping…