I prepared the tea according the instructions on the package, with soft, filtered water:
2 gr 240 ml 100 C 4 minutes

The promised burst of rose did not happen, although notes of red rose definitely appeared later on.
I steeped the tea twice and will try in different ways on days to come.
Here are today’s tasting notes:
Dry leaf: floral, fruity, muscatel, ripe, yellow plum
Dry leaf in preheated jug: rose-hip jam on freshly toasted bread; cookies.
Wet leaf: fruity, floral, red rose
Liquid: caramel pudding, sweet, later on sultanas

Flavor profile: dry, rich and bright, sweet, bitter, umami, a hint of acidity, fruity, floral, woody, spices; muscatel, yellow plum, red rose, clove.
The aftertaste is very, very long, goes on and on and on! Slightly astringent, slightly bitter in a fruity way, bright, red chili.
When cooler: sweeter, softer and fruitier, starfruit, yellow plum, muscatel, red pepper, mint.
Much cooler: bitter and fruity: red grapefruit with pepper.

Second brew: 77 C, 6 min
Much paler liquid, rounder, softer, sweeter, a hint of camphor, bees wax, wild honey. Pepper is dominant in aftertaste, followed by mint and mango. This time again an aftertaste that goes on and on: fruity, sweet, bright, refreshing, peppery.

Amazing aroma, delightful taste! Beautifully made to perfection!

Last year I missed out on this tea so I am super excited to be able to taste the 2023 Rose Label Reserve tea. The dry leaf aroma is mouth watering muscatel, warm caramel & a soft floral bouquet. I have tried brewing it multiple ways and each way has offered its own lovely sublime surprise. My favorite infusion style is by following the package reccomendation of western brewing. The flavors in the aroma are all present and well balanced with a touch of pepper hiding in the foreground. There is a sweet cane sugar aftertaste with a soft blush of rose that lingers long after the sip. The floral note seems to bloom, in the middle on the mouth, revealing itself as a rose. In one cup I accidentally over-brewed my steeping time but I was pleased to find that, despite my mistake, there was not even a hint of bitterness or astringency. “Bravo” to Nepal Tea Collective for a spectacular 2023 Rose Label Reserve Tea! It is truly a lovely tasting journey. In this fast pace lifestyle we live in it is nice to have a tea like this where I can relax, take take my time and treasure each sip.

Do not let the price of the tea influence your tasting. With a price like this, think more about supporting Mr. Gurung and how incredibly special it is that he shares this gift with the world.

For this tasting I am steeping 2.5 grams. Exactly. Never done that before. Water at 185F. Timer set for 3 minutes of infusion. The difficulty with tasting expensive things is not in how the taste actually is but based on how the dollar amount shapes your perspective. Oftentimes product marketers will say a product is worth more than it truly is to see how differently people react with it. Try your best to taste like you do with all te

Dry aroma: Woody. Slight floral, rose. But is that the suggestion in the name speaking?
Dry appearance: Golden buds and dark chocolate leaf. Tightly twisted.

Wet Leaf appearance: Mostly chocolate brown but a few are olive green.
Wet leaf. Slight rose aroma. But not your general rose, more specific. Like walking though a flower garden and smelling each one.

Flavor. The first sip had some roasted vegetal notes. An undertone of decaying wood. Honey and rose notes.
Mouthfeel: Silky. A bit of astringency to finish but not an offensive drying sensation.
Liquor aroma: A bit bready. Not quite as bready as other Nepal teas I've had.

The second steep is coming out quite a bit more floral. Perhaps it was also the longer steep? Slightly more astringent but still in a good way.

The Rose Label # 157 that hails from the Bannockburn #157 cultivar is a pleasure to drink - I brew it at a bit stronger ratio than recommended and infuse for shorter time, almost gongfu but not quite - i find this tea to be easy to like - it is fragrant, both in aroma and taste, it brews strong but not bitter and the soup is silky.
Good tea if pricey.