Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Product Description:
DRY LEAF: The leaves are small, wiry and well rolled, with colors raging from black to dark brown with a smattering of green. The aroma is a complex smorgasbord of floral and fruity notes with also biscuity and nutty characteristics.
INFUSION: The overall color of the wet leaves is dark brown. It has traces of green. The nose is long with mix of nutty, peppery and sweet aroma.
CUP: The light golden liquor has a sparkle that tells of the healthy bushes that went into making this tea. The flavor is brisk and sweet with a floral fragrance and a nutty undertone. The cup is refreshing, with a slight dry kick that does not detract from the enjoyment of the tea. The aftertaste is a lingering malty sweetness.
Brewing Directions: The leaves of this tea infuse pretty strongly. Please use only half a teaspoon for a cup/mug of tea. Do not steep for more than 3 minutes. If you find the liquor strong, you may add a pinch of sugar.
Company “About Us”:
Happy Earth Tea brings to the US tea enthusiasts Darjeeling, a classic vintage of the tea world.
Founded in 2010 by husband-wife team, Niraj Lama and Mary Boland, HET’s objective is to offer a variety of Darjeeling tea. While Indian teas are our basic interest – because we are most familiar with it – at HET we are also developing our own blends. We are trying combinations of tea and herbs to optimise taste and health benefits. All our ingredients are sourced from certified organic businesses.
HET, as a business, is a small home run venture, keen to reach out to people and foster a community of tea drinkers who believe in wholesome and sustainable living. We set up “shop” in 2010 in upstate New York, where people are warm and farms are all around. A perfect place to dream of a better world.
Niraj hails from Darjeeling. (Yes, Darjeeling is a actually a beautiful hill resort, located in the north east Himalayas of India.) He worked as a journalist until about five years ago, when his cup gained precendence over the pen.
Niraj and Mary set up Darjeeling Tea Exclusive, an online Darjeeling tea store in 2005. It was based in Darjeeling, and successfully purveyed the couple’s passion for fine teas around the world. Darjeeling Tea Exclusive still exists, grateful to the support of tea enthusiasts from different parts of the globe.
Happy Earth Tea caters currently to the North American market. Tea has entered an exciting new world in this region, and we want to be here to share in it and take it further.
Tasters Review:
Recently Anne and I received a package from Happy Earth Tea – a company based in Rochester, NY, and after emailing back and forth with the owners we know these people KNOW their Darjeeling Teas! They KNOW the Tea and the LOCATION of Darjeeling as you can see above from the company’s “About Us”. They are very nice to deal with via email! You can tell customer service is a TOP priority with this company!
So far I have tried a few of the teas and I am very impressed! They are delicious! But…this is my first of many reviews of their tea I will be posting here at Sororitea Sisters! I really couldn’t wait to post one!
I was in LOVE with this Marybong Spring after the very first sip! What really MADE this cup for me was the SMOOTHNESS of it. There are many Darjeelings out there that have a bite. This is one that highlights the SMOOTHNESS! It’s Incredibly smooth! It’s also fairly malty! This tea is a bit floral – but not grassy floral. It has a hint of nuttiness as well! This is an awesomely smooth Darjeeling! I think it’s just lovely!
The color was beautiful too! Post infusion – it glows of a medium brown with a tinge of orange!
This tea made my day shiny and bright!
So 2011 is a good year?
This tea was manufactured in the spring of 2011. Well made darjeeling stays good upto 2 years if stored well.