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“Forgive me, it’s been more than two years since my last tea review. The new job pretty much ate my brain — and all my free time. O.K., so enough about me. Let’s talk tea. Technically, you can’t...” Read full tasting note
A perfectly balanced everyday black tea from the Jun Chiyabari tea garden in Nepal. Himalayan Classic is a “2nd Flush” black tea, meaning it was harvested when the bushes have had more time to adjust to warmer days and brighter sunshine of early summer. The flavors are deep and complex, set against the classic background of fruity-floral Himalayan character that we enjoy so much from this region.
Your purchase of this tea provides micro-finance for impoverished women to launch small businesses in Nepal.
Tasting Notes: Lightly malty and smooth with nectar-like flavors of apricot, lychee, wildflower honey and sweet citrus peel dryness that linger in the finish of this easy-drinking cup.
Rishi Tea specializes in sourcing the most rarefied teas and botanical ingredients from exotic origins around the globe. This forms a palette from which we craft original blends inspired by equal parts ancient herbal wisdom and modern culinary innovation. Discover new tastes and join us on our journey to leave ‘No Leaf Unturned’.
Forgive me, it’s been more than two years since my last tea review. The new job pretty much ate my brain — and all my free time. O.K., so enough about me. Let’s talk tea.
Technically, you can’t call Himalayan Class Black a Darjeeling because it’s grown 150 miles (245 km) to the west. But for all intents and purposes that’s what it is, a Darjeeling grown just over the border in Hile, Nepal. Darjeelings have this amorphous quality about them. They’re technically a black tea, but they’re kind of green. And they’re made with Chinese varietals and Assamicas.
Himalayan Classic has that typical Darjeeling quality. It has very little body and that classic apricot-peach taste that Darjeelings have. (Rishi also says it has a malty quality, which I’m not tasting.)
If you like Darjeelings (particularly second flushes), you’ll like this.
You wouldn’t want to put milk in this tea. Well, let me rephrase that — I wouldn’t want to put milk in this tea. There’s no accounting for what you might want to do, but the tea doesn’t really have enough body to handle it. And I’m not sure milk goes well with teas with floral qualities either.
The tea is quite green, as is the wet infusion. The liquor has that greenie-oolongie thing that Darjeelings tend to have. Quite frankly, Darjeelings have been mediocre the past few years, so this is a good alternative.
First steep should be about three minutes, just like a Darjeeling. Go four to five minutes for the second steep. And I don’t think you can coax a decent third steep out of this.
Flavors: Flowers, Peach
