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“I’m a moron. I used the same parameters in my Kyusu as I did with my first Nepal tea this morning, going more for less than 2 minutes with a very generous serving of leaves. It was over a heaping...” Read full tasting note
In recent years, Nepal has made a heavy investment in its fledgling tea industry. Though in theory it presents an ideal growing environment for the tea plant, this historically impoverished country has until recently lacked the infrastructure and expertise to produce and export tea in volume. This is why we were so excited to receive this very nice artisanal black tea from our friends at the Kanchenjungha tea estate in Eastern Nepal.
The Nepal Needles is an all bud black tea made in a similar style to Chinese Jin Jun Mei. It is similarly thick and viscous in the body but has more Darjeeling-esque muscatel notes. Certainly an interesting and unique tea which should please both fans of Chinese and Indian blacks.
Origin – Panchtar District, Nepal
Harvest – Summer ‘21
Tastes Like – Malt-Forward, Floral Hops, Red Grape
Sold in one ounce inc
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I’m a moron. I used the same parameters in my Kyusu as I did with my first Nepal tea this morning, going more for less than 2 minutes with a very generous serving of leaves. It was over a heaping tablespoon, and I timed it by aroma and color. I poured some at 20 sec, sipped, waited about 40 ish seconds longer, than poured it. So I guess between 1 minute to 1 min 35 at most.
This time, I got the beer and hoppy flavors, but I got more tippy chocolate malt than I usually do. This is the first time I used my Kyusu for the leaves. Before, I’ve mostly used a metal strainer for a mug, or one of my gaiwans. The weather was also significantly different last winter. It’s been relatively warm in the 40s so far, being just cool enough to sweeten the tannins without taking them away.
Second steep closer to three minutes, and its still sweet and malty. Not too much chocolate or cocoa now, but more grapey. The Guinness and sweet potato vibes are still here.
It’ll be interesting to see if how much I change my mind on this one. I intended to swap it out because it sat around for too long, but now there’s a chance I’ll finish it quicker by using more leaves. I’ll still keep some around for sharing because I do think it stands out as a Nepal chinese style tea, but I might have to finish it while the weather is on this lukewarm border of cold. Otherwise, it’s been a generic malty black tea with some viscousness. Does anyone else notice a huge change of flavor due to climate for their black teas?
Flavors: Cocoa, Grapes, Honey, Hops, Malt, Smooth, Sweet Potatoes
oh no… don’t tell me the temp changes flavor of tea?!? Might explain why the dian hong I finished the other day was completely different than when I had it a couple weeks ago, because I thought I steeped it the same.