I had no idea what teacore Aspen leather was all about. Upon first opening the package and trying on the jacket, I was a bit underwhelmed by the color. It is a flat dark brown, nearly black, with a pleasant organic horsehide texture but otherwise nearly featureless in tone. Obviously the new jacket is of a very stiff and unworked nature, so like I would with any leather article, I put it on and began moving. I went through a full set of light exercises, emphasizing elbow and shoulder movements out in the sun. Within 15 minutes, I looked in the mirror and noticed THE BEAUTIFUL HIGHLIGHTS beginning to appear at all of the crease marks and areas of friction. It's a bit surprising (and gratifying) to see such a quick! transformation. Normally the top color of your leather will provide some clue to the inner layers, being more of a gradient from a little darker to a bit lighter with age and work. In this case, the Horween Aspen teacore reminds of a pot full of the richest, murkiest black tea, into which cream of some type has been poured but not yet stirred. The jacket style itself is the classic Perfecto. No complaints, besides the lack of a matching teacore Aspen belt, which, let's be honest, for the list price should have been included. I also wish to god they would make the waist narrower or a bit longer or both on this particular style. Even with the addition of tie straps on either side, if you have a narrow waist and wide shoulders, your arms and chest will be snug as a bug on a cold day while your lower back and belly will be swinging in the breeze. This complaint is more of a nitpick though, as I live in southern California and rarely need to dress for freezing weather. All-in-all a great and worthy leather jacket from Schott, well built and comfortable. I can't wait to break it in by roaming around through the chaparral, scratching and scuffing the finish and revealing layer upon layer of that lustrous patina red gold that we dig for. I wonder, can I so bruise, bend, and burnish this jacket that I end up with the black tea only at the edges?? We will see!