2019 Sikkim Summer Black Tea

Another tea from derk (thanks!), as I was looking for simple black tea and this is it. However, it is so similar to the morning green tea from Paper & Tea. I mean in terms of flavour. It is very simple, easydrinking cup of tea. Light tea, light astingency, rather floral notes.

Nice mouthcoating quality, but aftertaste fades quickly and leaves some wood notes in the mouth, not harsh and overall it’s quite a smooth tea.

As derk wrote, it is a nice everyday cup, but nothing phenomenal. Maybe fresher it would be better, maybe it’s not just that complex as other Indian teas.

Did you know that Sikkim state in northern India produces only organic tea? I didn’t, so that’s why I bought this tea. Also, $4 for 25g. Yes, please.

The dry leaf smells very flowery with pink roses and peonies and chrysanthemum on top of a spicy, woody musk. The tea hasn’t impressed me so far (maybe age-related?), being very light in flavor and rather undefined so today I increased the concentration of tea leaves and did get a more pronounced cup. The brewed aroma is sweet, soft and mild tending toward brown sugar and cocoa. Within the brisk body, I taste mostly a tangy, woody-straw flavor with lighter but still adequate notes of caramel and cocoa that follow through into a short aftertaste where buttered apricot-mango also comes out. I’d compare it to a Nepali black tea.

It’s an easy-drinker. Using less leaf gives a more floral tea. For the price you can’t go wrong, especially if you value organic farming and are looking for a cheaper alternative to Nepali teas.