Darjeeling – Ambootia Estate Organic Green Tea from Simpson & Vail is something I MUST discuss with you today!
Internationally renowned Darjeeling teas come to Simpson & Vail from the area in and around Darjeeling, a Himalayan town in the state of West Bengal in eastern India. The soil and climatic conditions that exist there create teas that are treasured for their exquisite taste. Darjeeling is often referred to as the “Champagne of teas”, and are so prized that the government there created a special logo that certifies that the teas bearing this logo were actually grown in this beautiful mountain terrain. You may have read about this already here at the Sororitea Sisters but we like to remind ourselves and other – every chance we can!
The Ambootia Estate, specifically, was established in 1861, and currently produces all of their teas using organic and bio-dynamic farming practices. This is ALWAYS a PLUS! Their organic green is a superlative tea with its pale hues and refreshing aroma. The smallish green leaves impart a sweet after-taste, with more body than most green teas and the wonderful flavor of a fine Darjeeling…according to the Simpson & Vail website, shop, and product description. I tend to agree, however, I was able to also pick up on a few floral notes and a more vegetal green flavor instead of a sweeter green flavor.
This was a MIGHTY FINE Green Darjeeling! I would LOVE to try the Black Tea equivalent of this soon! YUM!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
Internationally renowned Darjeeling teas come to us from the area in and around Darjeeling, a Himalayan
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Darjeeling Beauty Black from The Kettlery #VeganMoFo2016
It’s a Goth Day prompt for Vegan MoFo 2016 and what better tea to pair this prompt with than Darjeeling Beauty Black from The Kettlery. Darjeelings can seem to be more dark and brooding teas, something that we adore in their temperament!
Darjeeling Beauty Black from The Kettlery has a lovely name and a delightful taste, too!
The dry leaves of Darjeeling Beauty Black from The Kettlery are multi-colored…various tones of brown, muted greens, and shades of grey. Some look crispy and others look a bit fuzzy.
Darjeeling Beauty Black from The Kettlery has that stereotypical Darjeeling flavor I have come to recognize well over the years but it’s a pretty strong tasting Darjeeling Black Tea which is nice because others are a bit too delicate for those hard-to-get-into-mornings!
This specific Darjeeling Beauty Black from The Kettlery smells like sweet, wet wood and also has floral notes, too! This was a mighty-fine Darjeeling, indeed!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Darjeeling
Where to Buy: The Kettlery
Description
Darjeeling brings to the world this amazing tea during the pleasant season of spring. The leaves of this premium tea retain their greenish shade which give them the floral mouth filling taste. It is globally loved for its muscatel spring flavor which transports you into a world of culinary delight. It is best enjoyed without milk and sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Namring Special Autumn Darjeeling Black from Teabox
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teabox
Tea Description:
Autumnals from Darjeeling are known for their smooth and aromatic make. This blend tugs at the senses with its rich floral bouquet, although retrained. While light in cup, this tea impresses with its fullness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! Teabox has some pretty impressive teas and I have to say this one is fabulous and perfect for the chaotic week or so we’ve had in my family!
This tea had such a lovely almost floral aroma to it while it steeped. I steeped the tea per the instructions on the package and have to say they resulted in one gorgeous cuppa!
I love my Darjeelings for the lovely well balanced and smooth flavors they offer. I don’t like I’ve come across one I don’t like yet. This one (like I said) had a lovely floral aroma but the flavors were full blown malty with a hint of a citrus touch here and there. One of those whole mouth feel sort of teas that really help you ease into your evening with class. But be warned, this tea is one that will be come astringent quite quickly and will leave you with a rather mouth drying tea if you don’t goble it up while it is freshly brewed.
Another stunning example of the wonderful teas Teabox has to offer!
Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Darjeeling. Black
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
Rohini Second Flush Black Tea delightfully smooth full bodied mouth feel. Cocoa notes with highlights of almond and spice delivered in a baked bread. Warm and inviting gliding over the palate pleasing your every whim. As with all of the high quality Darjeeling teas this tea remain inviting for several steeps.
Rohini is a well established Tea estate, though the estate did remain closed for a period of 30 years the Saria family revived it in 1994. The garden is divided into four; the lower Jaberhat, mid elevation of Kotidhara and Pailodhora, and Tukuriya which is the highest in elevation. Tukuriya division which is located at an average elevation of 4400 FT and stretches right up to Kurseong town. The teas from Tukuriya are made from tea bushes that have remained there for more than 100 years.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black from sTEAp Shoppe offers a lighter darjeeling with a deep lurking presence.
Upon first sip you will get a sweet raisin note, a light grape essence, not nearly as muscatel as some Darjeeling, and you may even think that it is a rather light, bright, tea with a clean finish. But wait… sneaking upon your unsuspecting taste buds is a rich, full mouthfeel, almost creamy, velvety, with a nutty, woodsy, backdrop of flavor.
There is a honeyed sweetness to this Darjeeling, and while my palate does not detect cocoa notes as in the description it does offer a wonderful hint at almond, and fig.
The more the tea cools the fuller and more robust it becomes, almost as if it thickens.
I could see this tea being quite excellent iced, but it requires no additives and I feel adding any thing, even sweetener, would ruin this perfect cup.
Janet at sTEAp Shoppe offers up another winner in this Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black.
Mim Estate from English Tea Store
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Darjeeling
Where to Buy: English Tea Store
Tea Description:
Mim Estate from English Tea Store: This is a 2nd flush Darjeeling, grown at 6800 feet above sea level. The tea has a distinctive Muscatel character, with a hint of currant and an almost wine-like taste. It come from Mim in northern India, where you can see the tip of mount Everest on a clear day.
Due to the superb taste and limited production of Darjeelings, these teas are quite expensive. There are many who wish to take advantage of the high prices and as a result there are Darjeeling blends. Regrettably these blends are quite often very poor copies of Darjeeling and in some cases only contain 10% true Darjeeling teas; the balance made up from other production areas. A true estate Darjeeling is your guarantee of quality and genuine Darjeeling tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mim Estate from English Tea Store, while good, is not my all time favorite Darjeeling from Mim Estate. I do love the English Tea Store and have been very happy with most all of my purchases there. I won’t try to suggest I know the difference between one tea from Mim Estate to the next. To me if the tea comes from Mim they should all be comparable right? Perhaps not. This is an area of my tea education I need to do more research on.
I know that English Tea Store states that they are selling a true darjeeling and I have no doubt of the accuracy of that as I have found the English Tea Store to be reputable and having excellent customer service. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the impostors and simply prefer those or perhaps I have been very blessed to have some beyond excellent darjeeling. Whatever the case may be I find this Mim Darjeeling to be good, very good, but not excellent.
Now please, don’t get me wrong, this tea is quite good! It is robust, has the muscatel note, but I would prefer a bit stronger on the muscatel. I have also found some Darjeeling to be somewhat peachy in flavor and I adore that note, which this tends to be lacking. There is just the right amount of astringency however which is notable as a positive.
It is a smooth tea, perfect for morning or afternoon with some tea sandwiches. I am having a cucumber sandwich with mine today and it is lovely. I think however the reason it is so lovely with my sandwiches is because it is fairly bland and does not compete with my otherwise mellow food flavors.
Overall this is noticeably darjeeling and a good robust cup with the right amount of astringency, a mellow muscatel note, and a typical darjeeling drying effect, excellent for food pairings, but I don’t think I would enjoy it as much as a tea to sip on without a meal.