Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Tea Description:
Grown in the hills of the Nilgiris district of Southern India, this is a highly aromatic and light black tea that is characteristic of the region. On the nose, you’ll smell stone fruits and flowers as this steeps. On the palate, you will taste a ton of character: it’s smooth, a little malty, fruity, spicy, floral and slightly green.
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Taster’s Review:
I fell in love at first sight with these leaves! Oh my, they’re gorgeous! Beautiful, whole leaves that have been rolled into long, curly, chocolate-y brown wires. You can really see the quality of this Nilgiri Coonoor Black Tea from Camellia Sinensis – these leaves are exquisite!
And the flavor is just as exquisite as the leaves!
Nilgiri is one of my favorite black teas because it has some of that malty character that I love in an Assam tea but a Nilgiri is smoother. There’s no bitterness and it’s not as astringent as an Assam can be. It’s a little lighter in body/texture than a hearty Assam, but this is still a delightfully robust cuppa.
It’s smooth. It’s fruity (I taste notes of stone fruit and raisin!) There are some floral notes that offer a pleasant contrast to the sweet, fruity tastes. I also taste a honeyed undertone that plays well to the floral notes.
The description above suggests a “green” taste to it and I get that too, it’s like a hint of vegetation to the background. Nothing strong or intrusive to the ‘black’ flavors of this cup. It’s more of another layer of flavor rather than something that distracts the palate.
About mid-cup, I start to notice a spice note to this as well. Slightly peppery, evocative of a Yunnan. Interesting!
Overall, a stunning Nilgiri, one of the most interesting Nilgiri teas I’ve yet to try. All you black tea fans out there, this is one you should put on your must try list!
