This is an excellent tea. It has got a fruity note to it. It is a much lighter brew than the average black tea. It has no malty tones nor any astringency. I really can’t think of this as a black tea but it certainly does not taste like a green either. In my opinion first flush Darjeelings are a type of tea of their own.
I brewed this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 minutes.
Preparation
Comments
The last thing I saw regarding the classification of Darjeeling teas suggested that most are actually blends of black, green, and/or oolong material that continue to be treated as straight black tea for one reason or another.
That seems intuitive. There are a few Darjeeling Oolongs that tasted more like a black or a white than oolong to me. Oh well, what do I know?
I tend to lean towards classifying Darjeeling and some of its Nepalese counterparts as comprising a unique type of tea. I can’t really explain it, but they just don’t seem to have much in common with any other traditional black teas.
Agreed. Darjeeling tends to be a pleasing cup but unlike what I am usually after when I am craving a black.
Second Flush Darjeeling Blacks are more like black teas than First Flush which is really a category in of itself.
Aren’t they closer to being oolongs anyway?
The last thing I saw regarding the classification of Darjeeling teas suggested that most are actually blends of black, green, and/or oolong material that continue to be treated as straight black tea for one reason or another.
That seems intuitive. There are a few Darjeeling Oolongs that tasted more like a black or a white than oolong to me. Oh well, what do I know?
This one did taste in some ways more like an oolong than a black but not quite.
This whole darjeeling world is a fascinating place.
I tend to lean towards classifying Darjeeling and some of its Nepalese counterparts as comprising a unique type of tea. I can’t really explain it, but they just don’t seem to have much in common with any other traditional black teas.
Agreed. Darjeeling tends to be a pleasing cup but unlike what I am usually after when I am craving a black.
Second Flush Darjeeling Blacks are more like black teas than First Flush which is really a category in of itself.
Some Himalaya teas are similar, but then again, that range is next to the region.