I received this one free from Joseph Wesley. Thank you so much Joe!!! It is greatly appreciated.
For the most part I don’t usually like Darjeeling. It seems to always taste like ash or dirt or a mixture of both to me. It doesn’t matter whether it is high or low quality tea. I haven’t been able to figure out why most Darjeelings taste bad to me but every once in a while there is one that I don’t mind. There are a few blends of Darjeeling I do quite like, Red Tailed Hawk from A&D is one of them.
First off, I love Joseph Wesley’s packaging. It came in a cardboard tin, the tea was in a sealed package inside the tin with an additional card with brewing instructions.
The dry leaves are small, dark and uniform in shape and colour. This tea is pretty. The smell of the dry tea is quite sweet. Maybe a sweet floral type scent, floral more like honeysuckle vs rose.
The tea brews up a reddish brown colour. The scent is still the sweet floral. There is also that slight scent of ash that I often get from darjeelings. This tea tastes quite good. It is definitely on the small list of darjeelings I like. The tea is crisp and clean. There is a strong sweetness, and a light honeysuckle type floral flavour.
While the tea is hot, I quite enjoyed it. There was a very slight but pleasant drying on the back of my palate after each sip. I found after it significantly cooled, the pleasant dryness turned into an astringency that I didn’t like. The ash flavour also became more dominate in the cooled tea with a long lingering aftertaste.
I definitely like this tea while it is hot. I am sure I will be able to manage drinking it that way :)
Preparation
Comments
Have you tried steeping Darjeelings at a lower temperature? I’m liking them a whole lot more since I started treating them like green tea instead of black.
Lala – what was shipping like from Joseph Wesley. The website shows free shipping over 40.00 but can’t find a disclaimer for US only. I’ve put together a mock order and got all the way into PayPal with no shipping added. Is it really free to Canada? If not was it reasonable?
Anlina – I have tried steeping at high temps, low temps, I have varied the leaf to water ratio. I have tried several different brands and estates of Darjeelings. It is really just hit and miss for me. I haven’t yet figured out why I like some Darjeelings and not others.
Dex – He sent it to me for free so I am unsure how much the shipping was (just sent via USPS). I was looking at that sale as well but had the same concerns about the shipping
Thanks Lala – sorry I thought you had placed an order. One more question, can you figure out where the coupon code goes on the checkout page. I can’t find a coupon code box – can’t get teas to reduce in price on the site. I would LOVE to place an order but their web site is frustrating. Great Teas, awful web site. :((
Dex- No I never got that far into my order. I agree with the website :) haha. I will PM you the email Joe gave to me if you would like to contact him.
Have you tried steeping Darjeelings at a lower temperature? I’m liking them a whole lot more since I started treating them like green tea instead of black.
Lala – what was shipping like from Joseph Wesley. The website shows free shipping over 40.00 but can’t find a disclaimer for US only. I’ve put together a mock order and got all the way into PayPal with no shipping added. Is it really free to Canada? If not was it reasonable?
Anlina – I have tried steeping at high temps, low temps, I have varied the leaf to water ratio. I have tried several different brands and estates of Darjeelings. It is really just hit and miss for me. I haven’t yet figured out why I like some Darjeelings and not others.
Dex – He sent it to me for free so I am unsure how much the shipping was (just sent via USPS). I was looking at that sale as well but had the same concerns about the shipping
Thanks Lala – sorry I thought you had placed an order. One more question, can you figure out where the coupon code goes on the checkout page. I can’t find a coupon code box – can’t get teas to reduce in price on the site. I would LOVE to place an order but their web site is frustrating. Great Teas, awful web site. :((
Dex- No I never got that far into my order. I agree with the website :) haha. I will PM you the email Joe gave to me if you would like to contact him.
Thanks – I would like that. Normally I would just give up in frustration – but there are cups I want and the tea is SOOOO good. It shouldn’t be this hard to order online…..