Anxi Ti Quan Yin (Ti Kuan Yin, Tie Guan Yin) -- 1lb bulk loose leaf

These arrive in two small brown boxes heavily taped together and proudly displaying "HONG KONG." The whole office cracked up, and I can't believe they weren't held up at the border, as the packaging suggests illicit contents. Then again, maybe I watch too many crime shows.Upon carefully slicing open a tape-wrapped box, I pulled out a bright foil package in Kill Bill colors: yellow, black, and red. The only non-Chinese characters on the package say 1725 and Tieguanyin. My friends who spoke chinese fluently once upon a time picked out the words "clear body" and "masterful, best tea blend."The package felt so dense I was sure the contents were a solid brick of tea, but this was not the case. When I opened the first bag, the tea came apart easily. It had been vacuum packed, but the rolled pearls of tea leaves were still just fine. The leaves are large by my standards, larger than a man's thumbnail, with many reaching a square cm, but several twigs are also included. These leaves are lighter than the  Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong Tea , and the brew is also a pale yellow rather than a red/brown.The smell is great! It seems to combine the best of jasmine and genmai teas, two of my favorites when they aren't bitter or astringent, which jasmine trends toward.The smell of the tea while still in the bag smells like green tea and factory plastic. This was my first indication that something might be terribly wrong (I mean, aside from blindly purchasing a pound of tea online. Tea addiction? Who, me?)The brew is bitter. There's no getting around it! I tossed the first batch of leaves out, thinking I must have steeped them too long.With my second set of leaves, I first started by pouring tepid water over them and tasting the rinse water. It wasn't bitter, but it wasn't flavorful, either. I moved on to brewing a sub-boiling cup and removing the strainer quite early. It was bitter!Fine. I thought, "Well, most of the caffeine is in the first cup, and caffeine is bitter, so . . . " I brewed a third quick-steep with the second batch of leaves. No luck! Bitter again!That's it for me. I do know people who enjoy bitter tea, but I don't have any of those pals nearby. I'll give the unopened bag (out of the two from Hong Kong) to the food bank (perhaps with a warning label???), and will compost or otherwise dispose of the opened bag.That's a wrap. Hopefully your leap of faith is a bit less blind than mine. Phew! I'll have to stick to Harney & Sons and Fezziwig's oolongs. Pricey, but soooo good.

It is good

Good, fresh tea.