Divine Highlands

Morning with the TTB = trying caffeinated blends! The caffeine is very welcome, as my team is sending the summer issue of our magazine to press today, so I need stamina as we finalize pages.

…welp, I started that note about eight hours ago and am only getting back to it now! Ha! So, Divine Highlands. It’s very mild and thin, even though I added more leaf than recommended. I’m not really getting eucalyptus or mint as the package promises; It’s quite mineral-y and vegetal. I prefer more boldness and flavor in my black teas, so I think maybe it’s a matter of expectations. This is more like a light oolong to my fairly unrefined palate. I don’t mind it, but it’s not giving me the oomph I was hoping for.

2021 Homemade Advent Calendar Swap – Day 19
From Skysamurai.

This is one I’ve tried before and still have in my cupboard. I remember not liking it very much before, but I couldn’t remember why. Turns out it’s pretty thin and not nearly as flavorful as I would like. Maybe one of these days I’ll figure out some steeping method to make it taste as good as it’s meant to. I think generally I may just prefer teakruthi’s flavored blends to their plain black teas.

I brewed this stronger than suggested on the bag, and was happy with a stronger taste than the other teakruthi teas I have tried. The wet leaf smells like orange peels, I didn’t expect that. The first brew is tangy and metallic, but not in a harsh way. It reminds me of an Assam but a bit more complex. I’m not getting the orange I smell in the wet leaf, the first brew is all sharpness and tang. The second brew is softer on the metal tang and I am getting floral honeysuckle notes. The third brew is just weak tea with a copper aftertaste.

Thanks to Teakruthi for the beautifully packaged free samples. I don’t have much experience with Sri Lankan teas, so I was eager to see what they’re all about. I personally picked this blend because the website description likened it to a first flush Darjeeling, a tea type of which I have some knowledge. I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 355 ml mug at 190F for 4, 6, and 10 minutes, respectively.

The leaves are small, fairly uniform green twists and have a dry aroma of wildflowers, fruit, and pine. The first steep is a lovely copper colour and indeed has the florals and faint muscatel of a first flush Darjeeling. I also get grape skins, green grapes, raisins, pine sap, eucalyptus, grass, tannins, and pleasant sourness. I remember as a kid cracking open the seed pods of the caragana tree in my yard, and the taste reminds me of how that smelled. The second and third steeps offer lighter renditions of these flavours.

I’ve tried this tea with less leaf and at lower temperatures, but anything that reduces the sappy sourness also reduces the Darjeeling-like fruit and florals. I’ve come to the conclusion that this tea should be enjoyed for the expression of the Sri Lankan highland terroir that it is and that comparisons to first flush Darjeeling can go only so far.