Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
The crepy, bold OP leaves yield a medium-dark liquor. The cup has light cedar notes with a clean, crisp character. While this selection is well-suited for hot tea, it also makes an excellent iced beverage.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Craigmore Estate OP Nilgiri Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports is an excellent Nilgiri – it is everything I expect from a high-quality Nilgiri black: rich, sweet, a little bit malty, notes of earth and wood, with a refreshing, invigorating crispness.
The overall cup is robust yet smooth. My first time I brewed this tea, I measured out a little extra leaf, and I found that this not only resulted in an obviously stronger cup of tea, but also a slightly more astringent one than I cared for. The second time I brewed it, I remembered to be a little more careful about measuring and I found that the second pot was much smoother and more enjoyable.
This tea tends to have more of a woody tone to it rather than a fruity or floral character. Faint hints of fruit and flower can be detected if one slurps the tea to aerate it, and really focuses on the sip. But when casually sipping this tea, I notice more of the wood tones, and I find them quite enjoyable too. The sweetness is like burnt-sugar caramel which complements the malty tones nicely.
I enjoyed this served hot or iced – it’s especially nice iced, served with a thin slice of lemon. So refreshing!
