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This was the last of the Japanese black teas that I finished in September. Of the three, I found it to be the most challenging and least consistently likable overall. That being said, it was still not a bad tea. I am fairly certain that the way I chose to brew it brought out more bitterness and astringency than would have been present had I opted to dry a different approach.

I brewed this tea in the Western style. I steeped 3 grams of loose leaf material in 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaf material prior to infusion nor did I attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material produced aromas of hay, malt, and autumn leaves. After infusion, I noted new aromas of cinnamon, cream, butter, baked bread, pine, cherry, and orange zest. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of hay, grass, malt, cream, butter, baked bread, autumn leaves, orange zest, lemon rind, vegetable broth-like umami, apricot, earth, cinnamon, Asian pear, red apple, plum, pine, kumquat, roasted walnut, oak, and cherry that were balanced by hints of bitter hickory, blackberry, and grapefruit pith before a bitter, astringent, tannic, and earthy fade.

As stated earlier, this was the most challenging and least approachable of the three Japanese black teas I polished off last month. I should have followed the brewing guidelines recommended by What-Cha, but I tend to brew my black teas strong in order to bring out the most in terms of aroma and flavor. I had also had success with longer infusion times for Japanese black teas in the past, so I did not see a reason to alter my usual approach with this tea. Honestly, I was just being lazy and trying to finish it off as quickly as possible. It deserved more attention, consideration, and respect than I showed it. Despite the distracting bitterness and astringency (again, very likely the result of me insisting on sticking with a 5 minute infusion time), this tea had some very nice aroma and flavor components. I would be interested in seeing what someone with a lighter touch would be able to get out of it.

This was another late summer sipdown. I think it actually may have been either my last sipdown of August or my first sipdown of September. As usual, I can’t remember. Anyway, this struck me as being a pretty good autumn flush Darjeeling black tea. I tend to be quite picky about such offerings, though, so some people are bound to enjoy this tea more than I did.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped 3 grams of loose leaf material in 8 ounces of 203 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaf material prior to infusion nor did I attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material produced aromas of malt, baked bread, red grape, and fig. After infusion, I detected aromas of plum, earth, black cherry, oak, smoke, cream, and cocoa. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of cream, earth, grass, oak, fig, black cherry, blackberry, plum, red grape, cream, baked bread, cocoa, hickory, roasted walnut, and orange zest that were balanced by hints of smoke, straw, blueberry, lemon zest, caramel, roasted peanut, cooked green beans, and red pear. The finish of each sip was dry, oaky, and fruity, reminding me a bit of red wine.

This was a complex, deep, and in some respects, extremely refined offering. I absolutely loved the heft and texture of the tea liquor in the mouth and the way it finished on each swallow, but there were also some aroma and flavor components that clashed for me. Like several other Darjeeling black teas I have sampled from 2018 to the present, this one struck me as a mixed bag, though there was considerably more to like than to dislike about it.

Okay, people. I’m back. This whole not having a working computer at home thing is killing me. Hopefully, I can get that issue resolved in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I’m going to bust out a handful of reviews while I’m here at my parents’ office in town. This was one of my sipdowns from either late August or early September. I found this tea to be enjoyable though inconsistent and confounding. No two cups were the same. Sometimes I loved it, and sometimes I totally hated it.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped approximately 3 grams of loose leaf material in around 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaf material prior to infusion nor did I attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted aromas of raisin, tobacco, prune, baked bread, and pine. After infusion, I detected new aromas of malt, straw, strawberry, green olive, honey, rose, smoke, and orange blossom. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of grass, straw, pine, raisin, strawberry, raspberry, cream, butter, prune, baked bread, pine, green olive, green bell pepper, honey, grape leaf, and smoke that were balanced by lighter, subtler impressions of earth, orange zest, tobacco, roasted almond, black walnut, rose, peach, orange blossom, and marigold. The finish of each sip was smooth, malty, nutty, and rather vegetal with some indistinct fruity and floral characteristics.

I tend to greatly enjoy Darjeeling black teas produced exclusively from the clonal AV2 cultivar, but this one was more of a mixed bag. For the most part, it was still a more or less very enjoyable offering, but there were times in which the aroma and flavor components I found to be the roughest and least appealing stood out more to me than I would have liked. As a matter of fact, I absolutely despised the first two cups of this tea that I brewed and ended up sitting the rest of it aside for a couple of days. I found it way more enjoyable after picking it back up, so maybe there was something up with me when I first tried this tea, but even after I resumed going through the remainder of my pouch, the tea remained somewhat inconsistent from cup to cup. Overall, this was a very solid tea with a lot to offer, but it was inconsistent and temperamental. I have definitely encountered several other Rohini black teas that I have found to be more enjoyable.

This was the second of the Japanese black teas I worked my way through last month. At the time I started to work my way through it, I was excited because I had just finished the absolutely stunning Golden Valley Yabukita and expected similarly great things of this tea. Unfortunately, I did not find this one to be nearly as good, but it was still a solidly better-than-average offering.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped 3 grams of loose leaf material in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaf material prior to infusion nor did I attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted aromas of baked bread, autumn leaves, raisin, hay, malt, pine, and straw. After infusion, I detected aromas of cinnamon, cream, butter, and roasted almond as well as a slightly amplified malt scent. In the mouth, I picked up flavors of autumn leaves, hay, straw, raisin, cream, butter, baked bread, pine, malt, sawdust, and roasted almond that soon gave way to impressions of oats, roasted peanut, black walnut, umami, plum, red pear, red apple, and green peas that were underscored by touches of cinnamon, lemon zest, and orange zest. Compared to the Golden Valley Yabukita Black Tea, the finish of this offering was pricklier and more astringent with a punchier and more unpredictable energy.

This was an interesting black tea, and there was quite a lot to appreciate about it, but it also was a bit harsh. I do not often get caffeine highs, but this tea left me feeling agitated, jittery, and overloaded for a long time after I finished each drinking session. Even though I enjoyed drinking it and found it to offer a lot of flavors I liked, it was also a bit rough for my liking. In the end, I would not caution others to avoid this tea, but if it comes down to a choice between this tea or the Golden Valley Yabukita, choose the latter.

This was one of my sipdowns from around the middle of last month. It was also the first of three Japanese black teas that I plowed my way through in just under a week. Of the bunch, it was easily the best. This tea had a mild and mellow character as well as a refinement that the other two teas lacked.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped approximately 3 grams of loose leaf material in about 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaf material prior to infusion nor did I attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted aromas of dark chocolate, straw, and pine. After infusion, I detected aromas of cinnamon, cream, malt, raisin, caramel, and baked bread. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of dark chocolate, raisin, straw, hay, pine, malt, cream, butter, umami, oats, cinnamon, peas, baked bread, damp grass, roasted peanut, roasted hazelnut, earth, moss, minerals, and orange zest. There were also hints of cinnamon, caramel, and plum here and there. The finish was very smooth and creamy with a gently invigorating afterglow.

Overall, this was a subtly rich, earthy, nutty, and vegetal black tea. It was easy to tell that it had been produced from a cultivar normally associated with green tea production. I particularly appreciated its lively, textured liquor and its skillful integration of aromas and flavors that had the possibility to clash badly. I wish it had been just a little sweeter and fruitier, but that’s me nitpicking. This was a wonderful black tea and one that I would have no difficulty recommending to open-minded tea drinkers.

This was another recent sipdown of mine. I polished off the ridiculous 100g pouch at the start of last week. Going back through all of my tasting notes, I was surprised to discover that this was going to wind up as being the first tea from the Sakhira Estate to receive a review from me. I had long been aware that Sakhira was considered one of the better and more reliable Nepalese tea producers, but for whatever reason, I had just never bothered to explore any of their offerings. That being said, I probably should not have started with this one. It was not a bad tea, but it was kind of standard issue in many ways. I have definitely had better Nepalese black teas.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped 3 grams of loose leaf material in approximately 8 ounces of 185 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaf material prior to infusion, and I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material produced aromas of pine, hay, straw, basil, anise, and green bell pepper. After infusion, I picked up aromas of apricot, plum, malt, orange zest, baked bread, and almond. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of pine, hay, straw, basil, grass, green bell pepper, watermelon rind, cream, butter, baked bread, malt, apricot, plum, sour cherry, orange zest, lemon rind, almond, green apple, and white grape with occasional hints of anise and a little pear in the aftertaste.

Overall, this was a pretty decent Nepalese first flush black tea. It definitely was not among the best I have ever had, but it was serviceable. I felt that its liquor was a little too pungent and prickly in the mouth for it to be easily enjoyed. It did, however, display solid depth and complexity, and that counts for something with me. Really, this tea was something of a mixed bag, but there was more good than bad. I certainly do not regret trying it.

This was my most recent sipdown. I finished my 50g pouch of this tea last night while I was staying up and watching goofy horror films. At this point in my tea journey, I am no stranger to Yunnan golden needle black teas, so I pretty much knew what to expect with this one, but I am happy to report that it did not prove to be a carbon copy of the autumn 2016 and spring 2017 imperial golden needle offerings from Yunnan Sourcing. This tea produced a liquor that was a little thinner and sharper in the mouth and also leaned a little more heavily on fruity and spicy aroma and flavor components.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea buds in 4 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 18 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea buds produced aromas of malt, baked bread, sweet potato, and molasses. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of banana, chocolate, cinnamon, ginger, roasted almond, and sugarcane as well as subtler scents of pine and eucalyptus. The first infusion coaxed out a stronger eucalyptus fragrance and clear aromas of butter, vanilla, oats, and honey. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of baked bread, honey, malt, butter, and roasted almond that were balanced by hints of pine, sweet potato, marshmallow, molasses, banana, and chocolate. The subsequent infusions introduced aromas of black pepper, camphor, fennel, orange zest, plum, red apple, marshmallow, roasted walnut, roasted chestnut, and coffee. Stronger and more immediately detectable impressions of marshmallow, pine, and sweet potato came out in the mouth alongside coffee, oat, ginger, molasses, sugarcane, eucalyptus, mineral, caramel, orange zest, black pepper, cinnamon, camphor, red grape, red apple, plum, fennnel, roasted chestnut, roasted walnut, and Asian pear notes. I also detected some hints of vanilla and peach here and there. As the tea faded, the liquor shifted and emphasized mineral, malt, baked bread, roasted almond, butter, and marshmallow notes that were chased by fleeting hints of sweet potato, orange zest, honey, sugarcane, pine, roasted chestnut, red apple, red grape, and caramel.

This was an interesting and endlessly fascinating Yunnan black tea with a ton of appeal on the nose and in the mouth. I liked that it had some new characteristics to offer compared to the previous two productions and also found it to be incredibly drinkable despite its depth and complexity. My only knocks were that it seemed to fade a little quicker than I thought it should have, and the liquor was slightly thin for my liking. Still, those were very minor issues. This was a great tea overall.

Here is yet another older sipdown of mine. I am fairly certain this one comes from April of this year. I recall this tea being something of a pain to get through, not because it was unenjoyable, but because I was very busy and constantly rushed while trying to prepare notes for a review of it. Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable and very solid offering, but it also struck me as lacking in wow factor compared to some of the very best Georgian black teas.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped 3 grams of loose tea leaves in approximately 8 ounces of 203 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaves prior to infusion nor did I attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of cedar, malt, sweet potato, cinnamon, and roasted almond. After infusion, I detected new aromas of baked bread, cream, steamed milk, chocolate, raisin, orange zest, and black cherry. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of straw, malt, cream, steamed milk, baked bread, plum, sweet potato, raisin, roasted almond, roasted peanut, cedar, orange zest, and black cherry that were balanced by hints of chocolate, roasted chestnut, fig, date, honey, blackberry, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The finish was very creamy, malty, smooth, and nutty with little to no astringency and a pleasant, lingering afterglow.

Like all of the Georgian black teas I have tried, this one was very creamy and smooth. It did display some nice fruit and spice notes, but I consistently wished they were a little more prevalent during my time with this tea. I also wished the chocolate notes were stronger. Really, this tea just needed a little bit more liveliness in the mouth, one or two amplified flavor components to balance out the strong malty, creamy, milky notes, and it would have been a true gem. As is, however, this tea was still a very nice offering. It just lacked that little something to launch it into that upper tier of Georgian black teas for me.

Here we go, people. I’m back. I was supposed to be overseeing the installation of new computer and security systems at home today, but it turns out the guy I was supposed to be working with was placed in quarantine last night. He had been working with a contractor at his mother’s house, and that guy left early Thursday because he was not feeling well. He ended up in the emergency room before the end of the night and tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, the guy I was supposed to be working with and his mother were placed in a mandatory 14 day quarantine. Both have been tested, and from what I understand, neither have tested positive, but both will be following quarantine guidelines just to be on the safe side. I was so looking forward to getting both the computer and security systems installed. Oh well, better safe than sorry. On the bright side, I now have this weekend and the next weekend free. Unfortunately, that means I have to wait another two weeks to get the new computers and the new security system installed. I would do it myself, but the security system is a lot more complex than what I am used to, and it looks like getting it up and running is going to be at least a two person job. Anyway, let’s now get to the tea for the Steepster peoples. This is another older sipdown of mine. To be honest, I was not looking forward to trying this tea because the description provided by What-Cha did not seem overly enthusiastic. Anytime I see words like “fantastic for the price,” I automatically know to temper my expectations, but honestly, I had no problem with this tea. It turned out to be a great offering regardless of the price.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped approximately 3 grams of loose leaf material in about 8 ounces of 203 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse prior to infusion nor did I attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted aromas of lemon zest, raisin, pine, basil, thyme, dandelion, apricot, coriander, and grass. After infusion, I detected aromas of orange zest, baked bread, cream, malt, Muscatel, and butter. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered up pleasant notes of lemon zest, basil, thyme, oats, cream, butter, grass, coriander, almond, pine, straw, dandelion, baked bread, green bell pepper, chili leaf, orange zest, and raisin that were balanced by hints of peach, apricot, pear, Muscatel, spearmint, and sugarcane.

This was an interesting and very complex first flush Darjeeling black tea from a producer that is renowned for consistently cranking out quality offerings. Compared to some of the more recent first flush Darjeelings I have tried, this one leaned very heavily on herbal and vegetal notes, but it also had enough fruitiness and nuttiness to maintain balance. Overall, this struck me as a more or less excellent offering. I doubt fans of Darjeeling black teas would be displeased with it in any way.

This was another of my late spring or early summer sipdowns. I think I finished my box of this tea sometime between late May and early July. Again, I have no way of knowing. I really need to start dating the notes in my review notebook. Overall, this was a pretty standard Georgian black tea. It was pretty drinkable and approachable, but it also did not really captivate me in any way.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped approximately 3 grams of loose tea leaves in about 8 ounces of 203 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaves prior to steeping, and I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of pine, raisin, straw, prune, mulberry, and blueberry. After infusion, I detected aromas of cream, steamed milk, malt, roasted almond, butter, and vanilla. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of straw, grass, hay, pine, cream, butter, cinnamon, steamed milk, malt, roasted almond, raisin, baked bread, and orange zest that were balanced by subtler notes of prune, honey, earth, vanilla, leather, roasted peanut, mulberry, blueberry, blackberry, and black cherry. The finish was smooth, creamy, malty, nutty, and fruity with something of a lingering steamed milk note left on the throat after the swallow.

This was not a bad tea in any way. As a matter of fact, I could see it making a wonderful introduction to Georgian black tea. My issue with it comes down to it not striking me as being all that distinctive. Most of the Georgian black teas I have tried have been very similar, so I look for some aroma and flavor components that stick with me after each drinking session to differentiate between what I feel is a great Georgian black tea and a Georgian black tea that is less than great. This one did not produce anything unique that stuck with me in the long run. Sure, the blueberry and mulberry aromas and flavors were nice and even somewhat unexpected, but this tea more emphasized the malty, nutty, creamy, and buttery characteristics that are so typical of contemporary Georgian black teas. Overall, this tea was pretty good. It was balanced, pleasant, and drinkable. There was nothing really wrong with it. It offered what anyone familiar with Georgian black tea would have expected of it, but I was hoping for more than that. I’m glad I tried this tea, and I did enjoy it, but I also doubt I would be in any rush to try it again.