Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
A well-crafted Darjeeling first flush tea, with refreshing floral and lime notes, from a garden famous for its high quality clonal teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
If you were to peek into my teacup at this moment, you wouldn’t think that the tea that I’m drinking is a ‘black’ tea. This Darjeeling is one of the lighter “black” Darjeeling teas I’ve encountered, so much so that it looks like a green … veering on the edge of almost looking like a white tea with it’s silvery tips and snowy down covering the dry leaves.
I’ve tried many different first flush Darjeeling and while I do maintain that the second flush is my preference, this Singbulli Darjeeling first flush is so good that I could change my mind as I sip this! It’s a beautiful tea experience!
As the above description suggests, I am experiencing notes of flower and bright lime notes. This is not as “wine-like” as some Darjeeling teas. This is very light and crisp, again, reminiscent of a green tea. It has a vibrant, fresh taste. (And why shouldn’t it? This tea was harvested in 2014!)
The first 1/3 of the cup, I tasted mostly the floral and lime notes, and as I approached the mid-cup point, I could taste more fruit notes start to emerge. Notes of sweet grape and a slight vegetal tone. The texture softens and becomes more silken. I notice less astringency now than I did at the start of this cup. The aftertaste has a tangy (almost tart!) citrus-y flavor.
This tea is a very clean and refreshing hot beverage. I drank about half of the pot that I prepared of this tea while it was hot, and then I allowed the rest to cool to see how it tastes as an iced tea. I have to say that while I do prefer this one hot, it makes a tasty iced tea too.
Another win from Happy Earth Tea! If you’re serious about your first flush Darjeeling teas, you really should check out their selection! They’re organic and absolutely FABULOUS!
