I can’t believe I never reviewed this tea! This is truly an extraordinary tea, and I sincerely hope it is available for the 2020 year. The Moonlight White broke my record for most expensive western tea purchased with weighing in at 3$/g. This is a first flush from superior AV2 clonals in Badamtam estate. This tea is made exclusively for Teabox and there is only 4kg produced each year. This tea is wholesale purchased at around 3k USD per kilo, so they will gross well over 10K for this very small harvest. Amazing! Tea nerdiness aside, lets get down to the brew. When I start stepping into “exclusive” or “premium” teas, I put tastes/tones aside, for I’m really paying attention to texture and how this tea makes me feel. Nonetheless, this tea brings a transcendent sensory experience. The leaves carry an intoxicating aroma of french pastries and first spring flowers. If you crack this tin, heads will turn. Once the leaves are touched by the kettle’s water, my tearoom was engulfed with the scent of spring: blooming lilies, geraniums, and heady lilac! The flavor was exquisite (as any high end Darjeeling should be). You can expect fresh spring tones, unripe citrus, dry mango, and rock sugar. Now these great scents and tones are all well and nice, but the most important factor of this brew was it’s texture and how it made me feel. It’s hard to put into words but this tea was PURE. The texture was that of a fine aged cognac or rum and it presented its profile in such a clean and direct fashion. You cannot find the slightest impurity, rough edge, or astringency. This proves true even if you let the liquor cool. It’s truly an experience to indulge in. With each sip, you sink deeper and deeper into these leaves. I was amazed at this, for I did go in with honest doubts. I am always wary of marketing and “big stories”, but these leaves are the real deal. If they release a 2020 harvest I implore you to dip your toes into the Badamtam estate’s highest offering. You won’t be disappointed.
Flavors: Flowers, Geranium, Mango, Pastries, Powdered Sugar, Smooth, Sugar
This sounds amazing!