This is the last of my India trip tea stash, so I was looking forward to trying this one. The tea was in fact darker than the usual Darjeeling. Instead of a gold-brown liquid, it was a clear red-brown liquid with a fragrance that was only slightly floral but refreshing. On my first sip I really noticed the grape-y taste. I suppose that must be the “muscatel flavor” that I keep on reading about. As I was finishing the cup, I could feel a bit more astringency from the tea, and it also a developed a slight bitterness towards the end of the cup.
Overall, while I found it very refreshing, the tea didn’t really have anything that made it really stand out for me. Given how refreshing it is though, I do think that it would be a great summer tea for the afternoon or evening, and for some reason, I seem to think it would go well with carrot cake…