VIXIBlack Tea Loose Leaf, (8.00 Oz), Vietnam's Mountain Tea, Bold Flavored, Taste Like Assam Tea, Dried Whole Full Large Leaves, 100% Natural from Ancient Tea Tree

This is my first tea from Vietnam and, while I was aware Vietnam produced tea, I really did not expect a black tea of this quality at this price. It is easy to brew, versatile, and very good. It is most similar to teas grown in the nearby Yunan province, but is of surprisingly good quality at a more than fair price.It was clear from the dry leaf that the tea was fresh and it’s scent was predominantly an interesting vegetal note. When brewed the aroma was complex: again pleasingly vegetal with a background of cocoa, malt, an effervescent fruitiness, and a slight spicy note.It brews a dark cup that is rich but with a relatively gentle mouthfeel. Although a mild bitterness develops when steeped longer at a higher temperature, it’s astringency remains pretty low. I would describe the flavour as earthy, with vegetal and fruit notes and a mild chocolatey finish. VIXI recommends short brews at about 195 but I preferred brewing mine longer and at slightly higher temps. At 195 for about 5 minutes, it is good but a little too mellow IMO. I preferred brewing at 205 and it makes a rich cup with a nice balance.It is also good brewed with boiling water but I recommend shorter steeps to avoid more bitterness and a stronger vegetal taste. In general lower temps are more fruity while higher temps bring out more cocoa notes. It resteeps well when brewed with lower temps or for shorter times. Second steeps are lighter and mostly vegetal but still quite pleasant. Although this might be heresy to some, it does take milk well if it’s brewed strong and the addition of milk highlights the chocolatey richness.Overall, I was really impressed with this tea. It was most like good Yunans I’ve had but also had some similarities to Keemun. I recommend this to any black tea drinker, but especially to people who like Chinese black teas with these mellow, chocolate notes.

I'm a bit of a tea snob and I love this stuff. I regularly buy Yunnan Wild Arbor teas from Yunnan Sourcing. This tea is quite similar to those teas, such as ones from Mengku, Jingmai, or Da Hu Sai. It has large leaves that infuse slowly, a mellow flavor, moderate astringency, low bitterness. Relatively little caffeine relative to the strength of flavor. Flavor is complex but a little mellow. The leaf looks a lot like a Ceylon OPA but I find this tea smoother than most of those teas. It also slightly resembles Wuyi oolongs, but is more oxidized and less roasted.I highly recommend this. It's one of the best loose-leaf black teas for sale on Amazon and is quite a steal at its price.The description says "tastes like Assam" and while there is some truth in this, I find this is not your typical breakfast tea. It's smoother and has less kick and less pick-me-up, but perhaps a bit more complexity. I actually prefer it as an afternoon tea and it's a tea I turn to when I want more flavor but slightly less caffeine (but still some.) I like how I feel after drinking this too.

Fresh taste with notes of Pu-erh and (less so) Lapsang Souchong. It strikes me as freshly picked leaves, then dried and packaged punctually. I wouldn't call it a strong flavor. For me it is really 4 1/2 stars. Give it 5 for those of the Darjeeling set, and four for those of the Assam persuasion, which is why I ultimately gave it four. It is wonderful, but I just wish it had a stronger flavor.

If you go to their Site, you will see photos of the Actual OLD TEA TREES that are so Old, nobody really knows how old they are, way over 600+ years old, at lest, and if you don't know, those are the kind of Tea Trees that have VERY DEEP TAP ROOTS that go Way Down Into the Ground, at least as Deep as the Tea Tree is Tall, which I'm guessing these are 60' to over 120' Tall... and still growing!!! The Very Deep Tap Roots allow the Old Tea Tees to suck up all the Minerals and Clean Fresh Water it needs to produce the FINEST Tea Leaves, that ONLY Old Tea Trees like these can do. The "Young" Tea Plants cannot even HOPE to be able to do that, so their Tea Leaves are NEVER EVER going to be as Aromatic, Tasty, and Flavorful as what you get from these Old Tea Tree's (yes, they are REAL TREE's... HUGE ONES... with Trunks 10' to 12' in Diameter, and the Tree can be over 100' Tall... just amazing!!!). Also, these grow in a very Difficult Part of the Mountain to get to, so Nobody goes there, and nobody has bothered these Old Trees, until now, so, they are Fully ORGANIC... Totally... No Chemical Fertilizers, No Chemical Herbicides, No Chemical Insecticides, NONE... it's ALL NATURALLY ORGANIC, as Nature Intended it to be. You don't have to be Afraid of getting CANCER from anything coming out of a Chemical Lab, getting into your system, LIKE what the other YOUNG (like 60 - 200 year old ones) Tea Plants might be subject to, in order to try to Maximize Profits, at Your Health's Expense. Also, Chemical Fertilizers do NOT contain everything needed by the Plant, which is why the Vegetables and Fruits you buy at your local Supermarket are TASTELESS, and Bred only to LOOK GOOD and for MAXIMUM SHELF LIFE, but has NO FLAVOR and NO NUTRITION. You're really wasting your time, and actually Rising Your Life too, by Gambling on the Chemical Herbicides and Chemical Insecticides that get applied to the plant, and wind up going into and becoming a part of the Fruit or Vegetable, but YOU WILL NEVER KNOW THAT, until years later, when those GMO 'stuff winds up giving you CANCER and who knows what else???!!! Ouch!!! So, these Old Tea Trees are not only Tops in Flavor and Quality, they're also SAFE, by being 100% ORGANIC, plus you are helping the "Hmong" People, restore their Livelihood, GOD Bless Them. Their People RISKED THEIR LIVES supporting the US MILITARY, at the Request of the US CIA, against the VietCong, during the Vietnam War, and nobody today (most people today were not even BORN back then), either Remembers or even Knew About It in the First Place, BUT I DO, I NEVER FORGOT WHAT THEY DID FOR US, and I AM SO GRATEFUL to them for what they did for both the ARVN (Army of South Vietnam), the CIA, and the US Military, MACV, during the War in Vietnam (1965 - 1975). So, do us ALL a BIG FAVOR, including yourself, and TRY These Old Tea Tree TEA's... all of them... the BLACK, GREEN, and WHITE... try them All. It's TRUE, they really do taste Much Better than Any FARM RAISED Teas, because of all the reasons I covered above. You cannot Argue with Mother NATURE. It's like going back into the Very Distant Past, 4,750 years ago, when the Chinese Emperor first found out about Tea, when one leaf blew off a tree, and fell into a pot of boiling water he had going. They drank it, and WOW, it was the Start of the TEA Drinking Era, that's still going on today. And YOU can become a part of the REAL WAY to Brew, and Enjoy Tea, as it was meant to be. I LOVE this VIXI Brand of Old Tea Trees Tea, Highly Recommend it, Rate it 5-STARS, and say... "GO FOR IT"... !!! :o)

Wow, its rare that I'd give a tea 5 star. Most of them have such weak flavors and yet are pricey, This one was not only about half the price but give strong flavor. Not so different than the Assam, that is can be used to concoct a nice chai. I add ginger, cardamon, cinnamon, bit of clove and whatever milk you'd like to top it off. Nutmeg can add as well.