Teabox

This tea is a perfectly fine darjeeling. It’s a very modest tea and a good example of an typical darjeeling. A bit heavy on the tongue and has some nice malty and floral notes to complement the weight. It is perfect for when you just need something medicinal and comforting. This tea was exactly what I needed last night and currently to combat a swollen throat/esophagus.
Please, anyone who is reading this, drink lots of fluids, especially when taking vitamins or any other pills, and especially if you have asthma. I have a very long tea related story related to this… To sum it up, tea can be a life saver.

Fun setup photo:
http://tea-pet.tumblr.com/post/94559331008/double-double-toil-and-trouble-fire-burn-and

Described as an oolong but brewed as a black – whatever one calls it, it is a lovely tea. First brew is tangy like a FF Darj, with noticeable tannins. Later brews produce softer tannins, and a bit sweetness, similar to a muted Ceylon.

First infusion – 3 g. per 8 oz water, 90 deg., 2:00 min.

Second infusion – 3 g. per 8 oz. water, 90 deg., 4:00 min.

Third infusion – 3 g. per 8 oz. water, 90 deg., 10:00+ min.

I like white teas, but this one failed to impress, despite the “wonder” in its name. Could be that the temperature was wrong, could be that it needed more steep time, but it tasted like a watered down green tea, just a little sweeter. Teabox recommends 10 min steeping at 85-90 degrees, so I will give it another try with those parameters, instead of my standard white tea ones.

Ceasefire is thankfully continuing. Here’s to hoping that it becomes permanent.

It’s hardest for me to review Assam teas. Since I lived in Ireland (30 years ago) I have been drinking breakfast blends consisting of Assam and Kenya teas (although previous to Steepster I don’t know if I could have even told you THAT much!), so when I taste them, they just taste “familiar” and nice. Notes are harder to pick out because of my familiarity with them. This morning I’m breaking into the Teabox samples again for a stout cup of tea. Doomni Assam was a perfect choice for this morning, as it’s freak like weather here in San Diego… 91% humidity and 80f at 10am. Pretty much like the weather where Doomni Estate tea grows! Tea cultural immersion without travel wasn’t on my agenda for this weekend, but hey, here we are! The tea:

Black twisty tippy leaves dry….wet, the lovely deep malt flavor prevails. On first sip, I get the overwhelming feeling of “aaaaaah…..familiar”. There is a wonderful maltiness and a touch of hoppiness (yay!) to this tea that creates a wholesome medium weight mouthfeel. Strangely, it is creamy, but has a touch of astringency to it, that makes you reach for your next sip. I am also finding a gentle top note of fruitiness that perhaps earlier in my tea explorations I would have missed. Hmmmm… this is a really nice Assam that I will consider ordering when the time comes to order from Teabox again!

This is one of the free samples that I got from Teabox with my “All the Darjeelings” sample boxes. This Assam has a lot of golden tips, but the ‘“broken” in the FTGBOP clonal grade is justified. The dry leaves smell fruity, but also dusky – hinting at their strength.
It is a highly caffinated tea, as Assam tend to be, but it lacks the trully deep, bass-y aroma of an excellent Assam. It reminds me of a strengthened fruity Ceylon, coupled with Ceylon’s astringncy and flavor profile. Not much malt in this tea, plenty of stone fruit.
Tasty, but not mind blowing.

We are working our way through Teabox’s All the Darjeelings sample box, slowly but surely. Today’s selection was Arya Ruby, which I can’t seem to find anymore on Teabox’s site. It is a very fragrant tea, on the verge of being perfumy. There is a very slight astringency to it, so you may want to sweeten it up a bit. A nice Darjeeling.

Sipdown from yesterday.
A lovely darjeeling that I will miss. Recommended to darjeeling lovers and to newbies, and added to my wishlist.

Had another cup of this this morning. A very good Darjeeling, one of the best that I’ve ever tasted.
Finished this cup during our weekly team meeting, and ten minutes later the sirens started blaring again. 5 rocket attacks in 30 minutes.
Where there is tea there is hope.