Greengold Georgian Kesane oolong and Phoenix roasted green tea

 

Nika of Greengold sent another set of Georgian teas to review, which I started covering comparing two black tea versions, and now I'm on to oolong and a well-roasted green tea.  Many thanks to him for these!

In that black tea review the versions didn't seem as conventional as I expected.  One was similar to one Chinese black tea in style, and the other was unusual.  I suppose trying the earlier set 2 or 3 years ago I'm not remembering how conventional or unconventional those were.  These may be a bit unusual.  I'll use the web page descriptions as an intro again:

KESANE, which is name of one of the most mysterious flower, which in Georgia grows only in Guria region. Our tea plants are surrounded by forrest which is full of this flower. According to the legend this flower is called "Forget-me-not". Our Oolong tea is made with such mystery recipe and after you taste, you will not forget it.

It is a golden tea that displays the aroma of woody, honeyed, fruity, roasted with a hint of vegetal notes. The taste is refined and full-bodied, sweetish. The taste is juicy and smooth, buttery, sweetish, with fruity sourness, spicy nuances and refreshing finish. The liquor is transparent, with a shade of a meadow honey.

PHOENIX tea is a roasted green tea, with a very strong aroma and taste, which makes it an unique product. It is made from morning-plucked fresh leaves and is being roasted on a very high temperature, that’s why is named after Phoenix.

Strong fire is the key to deliver specific strong aroma during the tea manufacturing process.

AROMA: HONEY, WOOD, FRUIT, VEGETABLE

Tea has strong aroma and flavours with some notes of cocoa, honey that gives it points of acidity and notes of aged wood. It has a sharp and delicately texture. The degree of taste balance and the predominant malt taste. It is true that in the mouth, the balance between medium acidity and medium amount of tannins make this tea honeyed, round and easy to drink that highlights the sweet flavour.

Review:

Kesane:  warm, rich, a bit nutty; I expected something else from the moderate darkness of color tones, for it to be even lighter.  There is touch of caramel flavor as well.  Feel is thick and rich too, which is atypical for a light initial round, especially if the flavor is still light.

Phoenix:  that's different.  There is a smoky input that stands out first, then an unusual type of flavor and astringency that pair together, maybe like tree bark.  This tastes like heavy pine smoke.  When you expect that it can be quite pleasant, especially when paired with suitable tea aspects, as with Lapsang Souchong.  When you are expecting a mild floral or vegetal tea, anywhere near typical green tea range, it hits a bit hard.  Mineral undertones are so strong that it tastes a bit like petroleum.

It's odd how the infusion strength differs in these.  The first isn't as light as initial rounds sometimes are but it seems like it will strengthen more in the next round, that it hasn't quite opened up, and this is really intense, even a bit much.  I'll need to use flash infusions for this tea from here on out.

Kesane #2:  it's odd how depth, feel, and richness come across as stronger in this than typical forward flavors.  The flavor is fine in it, along the line of root spice coupled with mild nut, brazil nut, macadamia or such.  A faint touch of caramel and light vegetal edge add complexity, so light that it's hard to define, but not intensity.  Sweetness is moderate but that input works with the rest.  It's odd that this doesn't remind me of any other tea version, strange that no other teas that come to mind have been like this.

Phoenix:  it balances much better for being brewed quite light, infused quickly.  Smoke input really stands out but it's not nearly as strong, and the unusual vegetal (bark) and mineral (petroleum) range have eased up.  Sweetness and feel kind of catch up; this makes a lot more sense now.  One obvious question is if people who love Lapsang Souchong would also love this, given that it's not even a black tea base paired with that smoke input.  I think that most would.

This may or may not even be a smoked tea.  It's pretty smoky though, and that input had to come from somewhere.  It's hard to identify other flavor range to round out a list.  It tastes a bit like pine, not only pine bark but also the needles.  There probably is more to notice that's being overwhelmed by the more dominant range at this point.

Kesane #3:  not transitioning too much.  A bit of autumn fallen leaves tone enters in, but that's pretty close to what I had already been describing.  I like this tea; to me this unusual character works.  It balances well, and is pleasant.  It's not far off typical shou mei white tea range, comparing more to that than to most oolongs.  It's odd trying one very light and subtle tea along with an intense one; it might work out that I like this more for the other being a bit dialed up.  

I'm a sheng pu'er drinker, and was just discussing how unusually high intensity might be part of the appeal of that for me, but it took awhile to really like that flavor set, and what's going on with the Phoenix version is new to me.

Phoenix:  not transitioning much either.  Intensity is moderated by using a really short infusion time but this tea is strong.  

It might come across better paired with food; some of that intensity might make more sense while alternating it with a breakfast or snack food, something rich and intense in flavor.  This might pair well with gingerbread or red velvet cake, something that isn't subtle.  Or this might even be fantastic with a conventional American breakfast, with fried eggs, bacon (especially smoked bacon, setting up a parallel between the two), fried potatoes and so on, all with a glass of orange juice.  

This might even be a rare tea alternative that a coffee drinker seeking a match in intensity might love.  It's not the same as a French roast coffee but it overlaps in a few different ways.  That intensity builds up as you sip it a few times, almost changing in effect, and becoming too much.  I could add milk to this and see what happens, even though that's blasphemy in the tea world.

I actually did that; in one sense this tasting just went off the rails.  With just a touch of sugar this would really pull together, since that softened the intensity issue, but the smoky and pine tones are still a little edgy, even with that one part sorted out.  It would fall close to a London Fog, Earl Grey with milk.  

It might sound like I'm saying that this tea is so harsh that it needs plenty of adjustment, and this commentary can be taken that way, but as I see it I'm really discussing an unusual potential of the tea.  If you put milk in the other version it would disappear.  This can balance in a novel and pleasant way, as more intense Lapsang Souchong can.  Or just drinking it with food would seem to accomplish some of the same effect, resolving high intensity, but in a completely different way.

Kesane, #4:  I brewed this a little stronger and feel includes more of an edge now, not much compared to average tea feel range, but some.  Interpreted in other ways people could see this tea as creamy, or could interpret the nut / root spice / autumn leaf range as subtle floral tones instead.

Phoenix:  this balances better than ever; it softens and gains better balance.  The flavor list still holds up, it's just not similar to earlier in overall effect with the balance of those inputs shifted around.  The challenging part eases up; it wouldn't make as much sense to add milk to this, as brewed this round.

These teas are far from finished, brewed Gongfu style, the notes just stop here.  I tried them for a few more rounds and they didn't transition that much more.

Conclusion:

Interesting, pleasant teas.  That roast level in the Phoenix was a bit aggressive but if you were expecting that, or even seeking it out, it could be quite pleasant.  If you expected a light oolong or moderate roast Wuyi Yancha it would seem burnt to a crisp.  It worked out as Lapsang Souchong works out; you have to like that range to get them, and then it's pleasant.

Oddly I feel like I could relate to these better if they matched standard Chinese or other-origin tea character.  Then that's about needing clear and defined expectations to appreciate tea character, which seems strange to me.  Did I lose experiential flexibility along the way?

The Kesane oolong works well for a mild and unique oolong range.  Maybe it reminds me a little of a gentle white tea, with the full feel and macadamia nut range flavors very approachable.  I would guess that if you try brewing it in different ways and adjust to the character more complexity would stand out, that you could get more flavor range out of it.  Probably trying it alongside a much more intense tea didn't really do it justice.

For the Phoenix tea you just have to be ok with a high roast level.  From there varying brewing approach could adjust intensity, and could shift experienced aspects some, but it's going to be smoky and intense.

Well-roasted green tea is unusual, isn't it?  Then it's back to whether a type being novel is ok or not.  It is if you think it is, if you like the aspects and character.  Aging it a year or two would probably tone down that smoky intensity some, and from there pairing with food or even adding milk would also work, as discussed in the review.  Just dropping infusion proportion would help, the amount of tea used in relation to water.  Or drinking a smoky, intense tea could be nice, if someone's preferences align with that.

Greengold Georgian black tea

 

Reviewing another black tea from Nika and Greengold of Georgia (the country).  He joined a meetup discussion and discussed their tea production background, summarized here.  

This should be pretty straightforward and familiar, probably just including a novel flavor aspect or two.  Earlier black teas were balanced, refined, and complex, so this should be the same.  A cool mint aspect was present in some but not others, I suppose most likely related to a plant type input; maybe that will turn up.

If I hear more about a certain version this is I'll include that, but with tea versions changing year to year that will be more irrelevant again next spring.

Using a Gongfu approach seems standard to me for whole leaf black teas, giving better results, so I used that.

Review:

First infusion:  as expected, it's complex, balanced, and refined.  A less expected aspect range comes in this being a bit savory, including some sun-dried tomato range (or probably umami, for people into that range of description).  That can be fantastic when it balances well with the rest, and it should in this.  Very pleasant warmth rounds it out, towards cocoa, more in a dark chocolate form than processed cocoa (so really cacao), with warm underlying mineral as a base.  

It's clean; there is no hint of mustiness, wood (beyond tones similar to that being general black tea range), sourness, mushroom, odd earthiness or mineral, etc.  That cacao and warm mineral range comes across a little like brandy, leaning a bit towards dark cherry or some other fruit.  Just as this it would be good for the entire cycle, but this is surely just opening up.

Second infusion:  warmth increased, which comes across as a neutral change.  Probably this is brewing fast enough, and at a high enough proportion, that I'll have to be careful to limit infusion time or I'll miss getting the best out of this.  Just a little shift into a tea being brewed too strong makes it come across as warmer in tone, and more astringent, and causes lighter fruit tones and sweetness to be harder to pick up.  

It makes you wonder how the traditional tea tasting approach of brewing cups in the "ISO standard" form, overbrewing them by quite a bit to help identify flaws, works well at all for identifying positive range.  That would be strange to give up a lot of input on positive range to just focus on flaws, not that I'm saying that would be a necessary result.

The rest is still similar, cocoa / cacao, warm underlying mineral, dried fruit, and brandy.  The fruit range picks up a bit and heads more towards citrus, like red grapefruit or dried orange peel.  Trying out a lightly brewed round might help identify an extra flavor or two, or at least help place how these transitions are going better.  I was brewing that for in the range of 10 seconds, so it was already pretty fast, but as usual I've maxed out the proportion, and for teas that are a bit intense that demands really short infusion times.

Third infusion:  not different, just ever so slightly better balanced, even though it is a little light this round (tried out brewed really fast, in the range of a 5 second infusion time, with a second or two of pours on both sides).  I'm not noticing mint in this version but I suppose the way the savory aspect and citrus comes across if looking for it one edge could seem like mint.  It could be that a minor hint of mint, or something along that line, is what makes it seem so complex.  

Fourth infusion:  either mint really did develop or else I've just talked myself into noticing it.  This is so nice, with mint, cocoa, and limited fruit mixing in a way that's probably better than it sounds (maybe along the line of dark cherry, or some other dried fruit).  Feel is nice and full with a touch of dry edge, a form that matches the rest nicely.  A good bit of all this would come across brewed Western style but it would be hard to get the exact best infusion strength dialed in, and mixing these shifts together would retain an impression of complexity but would make it impossible to experience the details to the same degree.

Fifth infusion:  fading just a little, since brewing it longer (in the 15+ second range) only drew out the same infusion strength as earlier, but as pleasant as ever.  It's far from finished; it will keep making pleasant rounds.  Citrus might seem a little heavier in the balance, but natural shifts during an infusion cycle will occur, and slight differences in infusion time will add to that variation.

  

Conclusions:

It's really nice, as I expected.  This is not just "not rustic," or beyond basic, it's refined, balanced, and complex.  

I tried it since brewed Western style and results weren't as good.  I think it could be in the same positive range brewed Western style but it's not a given that dialing in infusion strength would work out.  It's intense, and overall flavor intensity and heavier flavors can extract quickly.  Astringency isn't really an issue, although it does have a full and structured feel, but the heavy flavor range works best with infusion strength moderated (heavy as in both warm-toned and intense).

Probably my interpretation of this set of flavors would shift if I kept trying it Gongfu style a number of times.  I wasn't certain if I was picking up mint or not, or just expecting it, and the fruit and heavy floral range I didn't really clearly identify or define.  Early focus on cacao and some citrus seemed less open to interpretation, and that brandy-like range was relatively pronounced and distinctive, maybe even stronger in the Western style preparation.

visiting Sukhothai not long ago for a lantern festival theme event

celebrating Loy Krathong, where you float Krathongs to carry away sins

Greengold Georgian black teas review, and meeting Nika Sioridze

 

Nika being interviewed, with tea plants (photo shared by him)

We've met with Nika Sioridze in an online meeting with that circle of friends, the producer of this tea, which will help frame a review of two teas he sent earlier (many thanks for those).

The general theme may be familiar to many:  Georgia was a main tea producer under the Soviet Union, with their tea industry crashing during the dissolution of that.  Some tea production continued but not on the same scale.  According to Nika that earlier phase related to producing relatively modest quality tea at the largest scale possible, essentially the broad current perspective on Kenyan and Turkish tea production (for the most part; there would be exceptions).  Now smaller producers and co-operative organizations are pushing forward to try to change that paradigm and create better tea versions, and scale up demand by improving local and international awareness of new options.

I've heard a few accounts of others on a similar page in Georgia; over the past few years that story has been getting out.  The Renegade Tea producer might be the most active on social media (which may correspond to mature forms of tea production too, although it wouldn't have to connect).  If you Google search Georgian teas themed resellers like What Cha list other similar sources, or a blogger like Geoffrey of Steep Stories has probably written about plenty of others (like in this post, from awhile back).

The proof is always in the pudding (or put in the more sensible original British form:  the proof of the pudding is in the eating).  Reclaimed old plantations making new styles of tea based on updated processing steps is a great theme, but it has to translate into a positive beverage experience to work.  Adding a review here goes a long way towards assessing results, with the limitation that this only covers two of a set of a number of samples, with more to follow later.

This story line reminds me of lots of places, but I suppose especially Assam.  Or Nepal isn't so different, or Indonesia, maybe with that latter country all the closer since earlier Dutch plantations are still there, still producing older higher-volume and lower-quality teas, while new forms of plantations draw on new processing and plant types.  Assam seems similar because the history of doing things the older standard way is so entrenched there, with such a clear and recent time period cut-off between the possibility for new approaches not existing and then coming to life.  Per my understanding restrictions in place on types of businesses and agricultural practices in Assam only changed within the last half dozen years or so.  Other parts are a close match:  mixed use of varying cultivars and mixed backgrounds in experimenting with processing, and drawing on foreign influence as much as prior mass-production themes.

So one might wonder what Nika has added that's unique to Georgia in that discussion.  One novel difference is that a lot of plants were there, growing untended from that earlier era, which ended within the time-frame of 30 or so years back.  The "feral tea plantation" theme is different in Georgia than elsewhere in relation to that time-frame being so well-defined, so recent in the past but still removed (relatively), and for a larger scale of plants still being there to work from.  Nika talked about how along with moving as quickly as possible on the path to making really good tea they could ramp up production to a certain number of tons.  This isn't like starting from a bunch of seedlings.

again all onsite photos were contributed by Nika

It's obvious to ask about tea plant types:  what's growing?  Nika passed on that they are growing a local strain, a type of Kolchida cultivar, and also Qimen (/ Keemun), a Chinese plant type used to make black tea.  A distinctive flavor aspect made me wonder if that's not common among that set of Georgian types (I've seen a number listed beside a Kolchida cultivar elsewhere, so apparently there are variations). I'll get back to that idea in the review.

Nika's personal story was interesting.  He's from an agriculture background, so expansion into tea was from that side, which is probably a great background to draw on.  He explained how input from one person in particular, with ties to tea production in Nepal, helped speed up that difficult processing learning curve.  Obviously processing equipment import relates too.  We didn't get too far into any one side of the entire range, for starting with general background.  The talk about local awareness, preference, and expectations being on the basic side related to black tea styles and quality is so common to what I've written about other countries I'll skip going into it.  Nika sees foreign markets as the best early consumer for what they make, which will scale up over the next few years, since a lot of that awareness shift has already occurred elsewhere.

So it really comes down to just how good the tea is so far; how far along have they come with processing skill, and how suitable are the plants that are growing to compete with higher quality and more distinctive black teas from elsewhere?  In particular, one might wonder where they stand in relation to a region like Assam, if style and quality could be compared across varying origins like that.  I'm not going to take that last step all the way to conclusions, but maybe I'll go further with it in subsequent reviews.  I've tried revised form high quality orthodox Assam from a number of small producers, and from a co-op and a large plantation also on that page.  For a starting point describing two versions of these teas will be enough.

mixed and OP (mixed left, still mostly whole leaf)

He sent samples divided by type, including OP and mixed input categories.  It would've been most sensible and effective to compare two from one category (leaf wholeness set), then to re-review two from another.  Of course I didn't do that; I tried one of each to start. Why, why!?  I have to go by intuition.  I was curious how results would work for mixed forms, and the samples are large enough I can re-taste a version if it seems in order.

Of course I didn't "cup" these using a standard Western brewing plantation-output evaluation form either, that thing with the sets that look like lidded mugs, tasting from a bowl with a spoon, etc.  I prefer teas prepared Gongfu style, and I see that as presenting just as valid a result as Western brewing.  

A Western brewing approach can give very different results, and those might even be slightly more positive, for brewing very broken leaf material (so not these).  Not overbrewed per the ISO standard format, where the idea is to use a consistent approach well suited to identifying flaws.  That must be quite functional, it's just not the page I'm on.  

Review:

Mixed left, OP right (for non-regular readers I'm not into straining)

Mixed sample (less whole leaf, but mostly that):  it's nice.  There's more astringency edge than I'm used to from drinking the softest Chinese and American grown teas lately, but this is a really pleasant level of astringency, and quite moderate compared with most black tea produced.  There seems to be a cocoa edge to this, and some degree of fruit.  It's really far from any version I would consider adding milk and sugar to, at other end of the quality and astringency level scale.  

There is a touch of malt but it's not strong at all compared to Assam.  It seems to have a pleasant mintiness to it, not really strong and towards eucalyptus like for Ruby / Red Jade / #18 from Taiwan, more a touch of light and sweet mint, like light and sweet spearmint instead of peppermint.  It will be interesting to see if that develops or gets harder to notice.  It's great; hopefully the first.

OP:  this brewed a lot slower for not being as broken, so where the other could be backed off a little for infusion time this version is just getting started.  It's much milder, seemingly not developed to where it's headed just yet.  Character is nice.  It's a little more woody, but light cocoa and mild spice range fills that in.  It must be similar to the other version, more than I am noticing, but it's still developing.  I'll need to adjust brewing to go faster on the first version, with the timing I used ok for this one (out towards 20 seconds, but probably not that long, even counting the pours).  I'll leave off and add more description next round.

interesting how much faster the "mixed" version extracts, but not unusual

Mixed, second infusion:  really nice, coming in well even for that infusion being quite fast, under 10 seconds.  12-15 might be optimum for now but it's nice trying teas slightly weaker and stronger to see how that changes things.  That touch of mint hangs in there.  It would be easy to not identify that flavor at all, to see it as mixing in along with other wood, fruit, cocoa, and spice range.  It's complex, and not easier for me to break apart into a list for me not drinking as much black tea these days.

OP:  still on the light side, even though this did brew twice as long as the other version.  Whole leaf teas are like that; brewing time changes, and outcome in relation to experienced aspects and flavor proportions.  It's hard describing that one mineral intensive, towards woody aspect that many would see as just tasting like black tea.  I would've expected to like this version more than the first, for being more whole-leaf, but it doesn't include some of the same flavor range as the other, and the astringency in the more broken version balances really well.

I'll try to get infusion times relatively close to an optimum next round and focus in on a flavor list more.

Mix, third infusion:  pleasant, not so different. I think that mint really is something exceptional I'm "getting," not just interpretation or imagination.  Mild astringency edge is nice, one of the next things that stands out, but at a positive level.  I suppose related to taste it seems to connect to a warm mineral tone.  As to the remainder cocoa does seem to be part of it, and from there what I interpreted as fruit earlier could just as easily be floral, along the line of rose, or something such.  Earthier flavor, not so far off the warm mineral taste range, is towards tree bark, an earthy version of it, but still like a dry hardwood version.  A very slight resinous edge could seem like pine to someone, but at that level of trying to identify ever more faint aspects interpretation is probably more of a factor than what one is actually tasting.

OP:  this is pleasant too, it just suffers in comparison for having less going on.  It's odd saying that, since really the softer, full, rich character should be exactly what I prefer, based on liking Chinese black teas the best (Dian Hong, I suppose, Yunnan blacks, but other black teas are nice too).  If a smooth woody tone here shifted to include just a bit more cocoa or that fruit / floral range it would be better, changing an overall interpretation a lot.  

It's a lot harder to derive a flavor list from this version.  It's woody, with root spice beyond that, or maybe with those two switched in order, and beyond that traces of what occurred in the other do seem to be present.  A warm mineral edge is much lighter, and the cocoa and the rest is hard to clearly identify for mixing together beyond the main flavors.  I can't tell if there is any mint tone to this or not, so I guess that's saying that there's not.  Other range adds complexity without flavors standing out as identifiable.  

There are no flaws; I've not really done much with describing that, but it makes a lot of difference.  Feel is full and flavors are clean.  Sweetness could bump a little but what is present balances the rest.  I would be guessing to cite any causes (guessing based on so little it's of limited value or likelihood), but the material used to make the first might have been better, leading to results I like a little more, versus the broken leaf form somehow making it more positive.  It would be interesting to let Nika fill in more about the backstory for tea plant types and growing conditions, in case they would explain that [from earlier notes; he did, but it's hard to map to type].  

Mix, fourth infusion:  I'll probably stop taking notes here, since I've got things to do.  It's interesting how the color is so much darker in this version, even for being brewed a lot faster.  Different compounds would extract for broken leaf tea, or at least in a much different proportion, but the idea is one thing, and then seeing and experiencing it is interesting.  The intensity is backing off a little but it's not so different than the last round.  For stretching it from here results would probably be less positive, with that edge picking up while other positive flavors keep fading, but this is surely fine for giving another few very nice rounds.

OP:  if someone valued moving away from that astringency edge as much as possible this would clearly be a better tea version.  In terms of other flavor aspects present it might give up a little to the other version.  It's good though, and very positive.  It's not fading or losing appeal in terms of aspect range; if anything it's the best it has been.  It's interesting for being complex, with a broad range of flavors contributing, but a lot of it isn't distinct.  Cocoa seems noteworthy to me, just less pronounced than wood and root spice.  The more subdued warm floral range really could be interpreted as dried fruit instead, towards raisin but maybe lighter, more like a dried pear or apricot.  Or it could be both, accounting for why it's hard to place.  Interpretation varies how one might take that quite a bit.  To one person this might seem like straight wood, to another very complex across a broader range than I've just described.

Conclusion:

Both are nice, both overlapping in nature but different.  It's strange I kind of did like the broken version better, in those notes, but it seemed likely that the whole leaf version would be much more positive across the next 3 to 4 infusions. It definitely did work out like that.

The second whole-leaf version kept on improving further after those first four rounds, while the other tapered off.  It picked up a cool brandy-like character, along the line of dried fruit like raisin, but really extending into that liqueur like taste, maybe even towards red wine.  Even for whole leaf versions it's a little odd for a black tea to change or improve that much after the first four rounds like that.  I suppose it could be partly about that positive character always having been present earlier, at lower levels, then with most of the wood-tone flavor effect dropping out to let it show through.  Both teas made a number of additional positive rounds though.

All in all this tea is much better than I expected.  It's hard to place it in general terms against a general Chinese black tea character, aspect profile, or quality level, or against Assam orthodox versions.  I will return to that idea as I try other versions.  Tea from everywhere varies in character quite a bit, beyond some very consistent flavor profile themes emerging (first and second flush Darjeeling, Nepal whites, Taiwanese "honey black" teas, some types of Chinese black teas).  Those profiles vary with plant types used, micro-climate and other terroir inputs, the weather that year, processing approaches, and so on.  I get it why people tend to make blanket, sweeping comparisons or cite typical aspects, as I sometimes do, but to an extent that just doesn't work, especially to make general quality level assessments.

These are good teas.  It's absolutely not what you would expect for a plantation a few years into being recovered from inactivity (3 or 4, maybe Nika had said).  That leapfrog step of drawing on Nepal originated processing methods and skill comes to mind as a likely factor.  Probably the people growing this tea drawing on an agricultural background didn't hurt, leading to creating good material to work with.  The maturity of the plants was probably a factor, not needing to rush seedlings through a fast growth process just to get enough to experiment with earlier on, and stretching production to have some volume to sell after that few years.  

For this being the work in progress phase, versus some final end point, they're on track to make some really exceptional teas.  Or really they're kind of already there.  That mint edge and the late-round transition to a unique red wine like character were really something.  I've only tried a few Georgian tea versions prior to this and they were nothing like this, much more "rustic" in nature, not even close to this refined.

I've only ever tried one black tea version with a mint aspect remotely like that one, since it's nothing like the heavier eucalyptus range version in Red Jade / Ruby / # 18.  One wild cultivar version from Laos that Anna of Kinnari Tea shared was like this; perhaps one of the best black teas I've ever tried, if one highly values novelty in tea experience, as I tend to.  Maybe it's not novel in Georgia; maybe it's just normal for that one local cultivar.  I've heard that a mint aspect typical in Russian teas but I've never noticed it, but then I've tried relatively few teas from there.

All in all a cool back story and fantastic start.  It will be interesting seeing what range the other samples cover.