Awesome! I just noticed that this tea was picked on my birthday!
And it is a fantastic 2nd flush. Reminds me quite a bit of my first Darjeeling I ever tasted … and fell completely in love with. It has those same strong fruity tones – beautiful muscatel. A very pleasant astringency to this … not what I would categorize as a dry astringency or as a tangy astringency… this is really rather smooth … but with a slight tingly effect on the tongue toward the finish.
Light, but not quite as light as some other Darjeeling teas that I’ve tried, this one has some body to it, and even a hint of malt. There is a toasty quality to it in the background as well. It is as though this Darjeeling wants to be an Assam … not quite as bold or thick as an Assam, but with some intriguingly similar qualities. Nice, very nice!
PS: KTeas is currently having a Birthday Sale now through December 11 (20% off subtotal!) Check out their homepage for details. http://www.kteasonline.com/ (not affiliated with KTeas – although at one time I contemplated selling them my Breakfast in Bed Recipe but that’s another story – I’m just a very happy customer)