Estate Darjeeling

A good go-to black bagged tea. I would say towards the beginning of the “strong strength” spectrum. I’m not sure about the floral notes comparison mentioned in the product description but it’s pretty tasty regardless!

A very gentle Darjeeling. It doesn’t have an overwhelming astringency, although it doesn’t have a strong sense of muscatel either… this would be a great Darjeeling for those who find most Darjeeling teas to be overly astringent or too bitter. A nice fruit quality in the background with an overture of toasted, nutty, flowery taste. Nice!

I could not recall at the top of my head the last time I’ve had Darjeeling tea. Looking through my tea log, it appears it has been 6 months since my last steep of Darjeeling tea, which is quite surprising considering how much I love Darjeeling tea.

There is a very musty, toasted aroma to the dark brown and black leaves, with a very light woody scent. Steeping gives a similar scent, more woody than toasted, but still musty, and floral.

The flavor brings out a more floral taste, giving it a more delicate body. Any astringency compliments the light toasted notes, almost giving it a buttery flavor.

It is a little too delicate to be a morning tea, but as an early or late afternoon tea, this would be perfect.

I got this as a gift with a new kati cup with their new world of tea single steep set. (My old one dropped into the sink and cracked). I do think the single steeps are a neat packaging however not very environmentally friendly. I will be bringing them to work (I also got the ginger lemongrass single steeps) as they will be very convenient.

This tea was a nice Darjeeling although the flavor was very gentle. There was none of the astringency or potency I generally find with this type of tea. This was a nice morning cup but nothing I would go out of my way to drink .

It’s not the most nuanced Darjeeling on the market, nor is it the most sophisticated (I mean, it literally comes in a “tea fort”). But this Darjeeling is probably the strongest on the grapy note I’ve ever come across. It’s also light on the astringency, which gives it even more added points. Some of the floral profile give it a Ceylon feel. I liked it quite a bit.

Full Review: Pending on www.itsallabouttheleaf.com

Enjoyed with milk and sugar

My first real taste of any of the finer, more expensive teas out there. Tea aficionados often call Darjeeling “the champagne of teas,” and now I can definitely understand what they mean. This tea is so good! I saw the word “muscat” in the description on the tin, so I looked it up; that’s a beautifully succinct way of explaining the grape notes in this one. It’s earthy and aromatic and beautifully complex. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it before.

Darjeeling teas are my father’s favorit teas. He usually prefer the western flavors like this. I decided to try this as luckily it came in yet another tasting set and had some free time over the break. I don’t like the black tea this is made with. It’s very bitter and has almost a metallic after taste. I’m also not a big fan of the floral notes in these tea I feel like I’m drowning in flowers.

I really enjoyed this tea! It would not be something I would pick up, it was part of a sampler with my kati cup (love it!). I always am using only half a bag of the single steeps, because that seems to be the best strength for me. This had a really lovely fragrance, floral and sweet. I am not familiar with Darjeeling, but I kept smelling it and wanting more sips. Not bitter at all. I still would reach for a more exciting tea, but will enjoy what I have of this.

Sipdown.

I think this one saw some cross-contamination because the first cup tasted strongly of cinnamon. Subsequent cups were a bit bitter, with no cinnamon notes.