A couple of months ago, I reviewed one of Lipton’s “premium” offerings, their Darjeeling, of which the only premium aspect seemed to be the label design. As I had picked up a bag of this Kenyan black tea at the same time as the Darjeeling, I made it a goal to review them both, eventually, even just for the sake of warning you all away from them (or perhaps finding a hidden gem). Previously, I had said that I would review this tea a week after the Darjeeling, but I simply could not bring myself to do so.
Compared to the Lipton Darjeeling, this one…tastes like Lipton Yellow Label with strong coffee or earthy tones. I love pu’erh, so I am no stranger to earthy tones, but these just make it taste “deep,” rather than giving it any sort of complexity. When it is first sipped, there is barely any taste at all. As the tea passes over the back of the tongue, rough bitterness follows, leaving the mouth feeling like it is coated with a slightly chalky feeling. Quite frankly, this tea is not worth the money being charged for it, nor is it worth time to describe further its poor qualities.
To find one redeeming quality, I would say that I would gladly drink this tea over the Lipton Darjeeling, if those were my only two options. However, it should be pointed out that the Lipton Darjeeling is one of the worst teas I have ever consumed. On my personal enjoyment scale, I rate this tea a 20/100.
