Te Ji Da Hong Pao - Oolong Tea

This is a something of a guilty pleasure. When water first hits these leaves, it smells like you have made a pot of split pea and ham soup. Bacon in a Xiying. In the cup, the aroma is more complex, with smoke, herbs and a faint gamey smell that reminds me of something in the wind at the zoo. The taste is complex, but, again, mostly herbs and smoke, but with a sweet finish that reminds you about the fruit under the smoke. Later infusions (3+) taste more like fine tobacco to me, with a nice lift as well. Come to think of it, there is tobacco pleasure here without the guilt. Not bad at all.