I’ve never had Sikkim before. I even had to go get out the atlas to figure out where it is. (Only to find that it said ‘Indian state in the eastern Himalayas’ in the description of the tea. Can’t win them all.)
Anyway, my immediate expectation of this one would be something Darjeeling-like based on the fact that according to my atlas, Sikkim is just north of Darjeeling.
The aroma is fairly light. A little spicy and rather honeyed. That sweet honey-y note doesn’t really fit in with my picture of Darjeeling, so I’m pleased to find that it might not just be a differently named Darjeeling clone after all
The flavour is UNbelievably dark though. Not bitter as such, but seriously overbrewed. And I only gave it one minute. All I’m really getting here is astringecy en masse, and underneath that there is the greenish pang of Darjeelingness. And that’s it, really.
So far my impression of Sikkim is an overcooked Darjeeling. I am not convinced.
