2014 Organic Arya Ruby Darjeeling First Flush from Happy Earth Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black (Darjeeling)

Where to Buy:  Happy Earth Tea

Tea Description:

This Arya Ruby is finely crafted with its signature fragrance deep and rich in complexity that will cheer a Darjeeling enthusiast.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:  

Sweet!  That’s the first thing that I thought when I took my first sip of this tea:  this is beautifully sweet!

The dry leaf is appealing to me with the varying shades of green, brown and silver.  These leaves produce a coppery colored cup with a pleasant fruity note that evokes thoughts of grape.  I could also pick up on some floral tones in there.

My first sip, I was really blown away with how sweet it tasted.  I could taste notes of raisin (not always something I notice in a first flush Darjeeling) and peach.  I’m tasting some of that sugary sweetness that I would taste with a dried fruit with hints of a grape-y like flavor.  The peach is much more apparent to me, with mere hints of grape-like flavor, but I’m definitely tasting the sugary sweetness which leads me to think “raisin” rather than “grape.”

I taste floral notes that have been softened by the sweetness of this tea.  As I near the bottom of the cup, the floral notes begin to emerge stronger than at the start.

But what really surprised me is that lovely hint of chocolate that I started to notice at about mid-cup.  There were these really rich, decadent, smooth flavors developing:  somewhat caramel-y with notes of chocolate!  Love!  There’s a delightful smoothness to this cup with very little astringency.

Yet another amazing Darjeeling from Happy Earth Tea.  If you’re a fan of Darjeeling, you really can’t go wrong with the teas that Happy Earth Tea offers.  It’s a great company that is socially and environmentally responsible, and I really appreciate that.

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