Darjeeling

Pureleaf sent me some of this! Thanks a bunch :)

This is a nice darjeeling. Not as astringent as some Darjeelings and like that just fine and dandy.

It’s sightly floral and slightly citrusy, even.

This is very satisfying for the time of day – YAY!

Backlog:

A really pleasant Darjeeling – nice for afternoon sipping. Sweet, wine-like, and woodsy. Notes of muscatel. Notes of spice. Smooth, not a lot of astringency for a Darjeeling. A really enjoyable cuppa. One of those easy to sip Darjeeling teas.

Very aromatic and smooth to the taste, with a very light floral note. It tends to have a very slight bitter aftertaste (even with a shorter steep time and lower temp). I personally brew this tea a minute shorter than recommended, results in a lighter tangerine amber color and less bitter aftertaste. Also, I find it a great midday/early afternoon choice of leaf. There is no need for sweetener,however will splurge occasionally with a turbinado sugar, orange blossom honey or white agave nectar.

There are many cheap Darjeeling teas out there, but I doubt you will find one this good at this price. I picked up 10 ounces for less that $5 at my local Indian Grocery, and was pleasantly surprised. Good flavor and just the right hint of muscatel in the very pleasant aroma. The tea leaves are not the highest quality, but what a value for the price of a loose leaf Darjeeling.

A good tea to pair with an Indian meal. I should mention that you should never steep this tea for more than 3 minutes. The tin says steep for 5 to 7 minutes, but this will be a bitter brew that looses any of the delicate nuances. Maybe it is this way for their Russian clientele who use this more in a samovar — and thin the tea as needed.

Tastes very similar to Twinings Darjeeling, but a little stronger, and somewhat less astringent. A sweet flowery taste as it touches the tongue, followed by a slightly bitter aftertaste, even with sugar added.

This is a very enjoyable cup of tea but the brew can become bitter if you steep for too long. The instructions say 3 to 5 minutes steep time. I say stay on the low end of the limit and go longer only after tasting. This is my first Darjeeling.

My favourite daily Darjeeling. Cheap but delicious with a nice fruity flavour with hints of floral when you get a good batch. I’m naughty and buy the teabags. Best with a tiny dash of milk.

Nice Darjeeling. For my tastebuds, very herbal and smooth, very little bitterness. Medium astringency, pleasant overall.

In keeping with my general avoidance of straight black teas, I have several bags of this from an earlier sipsby box that I have ignored for a couple months. I can’t say I was excited to see it in the advent, but I made it up anyway – it’s time to try it.

It’s a decent smooth black tea, without too much acidity or bitterness overall, though I’d still prefer it with honey or iced. I wouldn’t mind having this on hand for an iced tea pitcher or for my partner (who is 90% of the reason I even keep straight black tea in the house), but it wouldn’t be my go-to.

sipsby bagged advent, day 9

Steeped for 5:45, I was busy in the background but pulled the bag out as soon as I realized how long it had been.

This was a light, gold, aromatic tea which is exactly what you would expect from a nice, inexpensive Darjeeling tea. It has delicate black tea notes with a nice tannin and astringency that coats the tongue. It was bitter but with no initial bite, probably caused by my oversteeping.

The mouthfeel offers some sweetness, and a near apricot fruity note. Really pleasant and especially for the price.

I have heard to only steep this tea for a few minutes instead of a handful, I look forward to trying it on a lower steep time but even now at first cup it is a solid and delicious unique tea.