Tea #38 from the Here’s Hoping TTB
One of my goals for next year is to learn a little bit more about darjeeling. I don’t drink it very often, but I’ve come across several I’ve really enjoyed. Moraiwe sent me several to try out and hopefully I’ll get a chance to post about them soon because I’ve really enjoyed them, I just haven’t managed to find the time to sit down and write about them yet.
There are several darjeeling teas in the TTB, but this is the only one that is flavored. In fact, it is the first time I’ve had a flavored darjeeling, but the combination of vanilla bean, fenugreek, cardamom, and darjeeling is very tasty. At first, while my cup was still very hot, all I could really taste was the vanilla, but as the tea cooled the spices came out and the darjeeling base peaked through here and there. This reminds me a bit of chai, but the flavors are much more mellow and smooth. I really liked the addition of the vanilla bean, it gave the tea a creaminess and cut down on some of the astringency I don’t normally care for in darjeeling. I also love the lack of cinnamon since I still get many of the flavors of chai without needing to take allergy medicine to enjoy my cup of tea (I’m really allergic to cinnamon.) I think I may have finally found my chai replacement.