Darjeeling Tea, is among the most special, and for good reason. The taste of many Darjeelings – especially THIS Jungpana Spring Delight from Tea Swan – is a wonder as it gives the smell of pure chocolate blended with spicy herbs. This variant of Darjeeling tea, hand plucked and hand rolled, is nature’s purest gift to mankind.
What makes this even more special in my eyes is that it’s organic. This was a 1st flush of 2017 and I’m coming to the end of my sample and wanted to write about it and share it with you before I ran out.
I infused the loose leaf for about 3 minutes at between 200-215 degrees and it seemed to infuse perfectly! At least perfectly for my own personal liking, that is.
Jungpana Spring Delight Black Tea from Tea Swan gives off the taste of fresh corn with a speck of marigold and gives off a deep, golden yellow brew. It’s truly delightful and delivers a full, robust flavor with very little astringency. When I read ‘smooth, refined and regal’ – according to the company’s website – I couldn’t agree more. It even finishes with a whisper of sweet citrus…how lovely!
This is a KEEPER to say the very least! Two thumbs up, indeed!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Swan
Description
The taste of this tea is a wonder as it gives the smell of pure chocolate blended with spicy herbs. This variant of Darjeeling tea, hand plucked and hand rolled, is nature’s purest gift to mankind.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Glendale Estate, Nilgiri, First Flush 2017 from Yatra Tea Company. . . . . .
If this tea were a man, it’d be at the bar picking up ladies left and right — because it is smoooooooooooooooooooooth. It has a dark, slightly spicy, very earthy flavor that melts on the tongue.
This is a great example of a classic Indian black tea. If someone were like, “hook a sister up with a Darjeeling*,” I’d toss this into their lap. “Give this a whirl. See how India treats you,” I’d reply.
* (No one says things to me like this. I would be SO RECEPTIVE to someone making a nice, specific tea request. Usually I get someone waffling around, asking if, um, I have any tea, that’s like, uh, black? Can they have a cup of, uh, black? I have about 50 types of black tea. I need more specificity.)
Do you know the history of tea in India? LET ME TELL YOU A STORY.
Once upon a time, the British realized they liked tea. But they didn’t want to pay Asia for tea. So they took over India and made the locals grow it for them instead. And they still grow tea in India today.
Interestingly, Indian black tea tends to be lighter, and slightly spicier, than its Asian counterpart. It’s like the spices from Indian cooking somehow correlate with the soil. That’s not science, I know, but it sort of FEELS like it, which is almost the same thing.
Next time you’re a little lonely, let a nice Darjeeling slide into your cup. You might just find love!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Yatra Tea Company
Description
Residing at an elevation of between 4,000 and 6,000 ft., Glendale was established in 1835. Located in close proximity to the scenic city of Conoor in South India, Glendale is among the most recognized Nilgiri tea plantations and follows all global production standards.
Glendale, the anglicized version of “Gleann Dail” (Gaelic), roughly translates to a fertile valley and comprises of 3 gardens which combined make up 525 hectares of planted area. Typical mountainous conditions allow for the production of distinctive “high grown” teas. The estate has a flourishing ecosystem, and while technology is pervasive, it exists without disrupting the essential characteristics that makes Glendale teas so sought after.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Himalayan Golden Tips/Rakkasan Tea Co.
This black tea comes from tea farms in Nepal. The region they harvest is similar and close to Darjeeling but production is much lower than the famous Darjeeling due to previous wars and the fact that their tea industry is undeveloped. These days production comes from six districts: Ilam, Dhankuta, Kaski, Terhathum, Sindhulpalchok, and Panchthar. Golden Tips from Rakkasan come from the IIam district from small farms. While not true for all farms, this tea is hand-plucked resulting in the big tea leaves you see below. The color is due to the the oxidation after 10-14 hours of wilting.Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rakkasan Tea Company
Description:
Our Himalayan Golden Tips are hand-plucked and almost entirely made up of whole leaf buds. To make the fresh and stiff tea leaves flexible for shaping, the leaves are wilted between 10-14 hours depending upon climactic conditions. After gentle shaping, the leaves are fully oxidized, which turns the leaf buds a golden brown. This tea has creamy and cocoa notes that linger long on the palate—especially without milk or sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Cherries in Sweet Cream from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
This Darjeeling, cherry, and cream tea is profoundly decadent. This blend tastes like a dessert that’s melty and gooey. The cream is so creamy that I feel like a farm where it came straight off the cow. Like, a fancy French cow.
A Quarter To Tea has a good grasp on cherries. I never liked cherries until their Chocolate Cherry Oolong showed up in one of my sample packs. It was a game-changer. So much so that my hopes were high for this one — and it succeeded.
When I went to this tea’s site, I discovered that this tea was inspired by Game of Thrones:
“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)
In case you forgot Illyrio (I did), he was the one that took care of the Targaryens while they were in hiding. If this is what he was serving people, well, I might hide out there, too. Does he have any space available?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)
Luscious black cherries with a medium body darjeeling base, paired with heavy notes of cream and vanilla. Decadent enough to make a magister proud.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Darjeeling Castleton Second Flush 2017 from Grey’s Teas. . . . .
Recently I enjoyed a smoky black tea from Grey’s Tea that was a delight but not necessarily my first choice in teas. But this second selection from Grey’s Teas definitely is.
Darjeeling Castleton Second Flush is an amazing smooth rich black tea that gives you all the tea feels from the very beginning. From the moment when you open the tea to get ready to steep, you now you have an instant best friend.
Brewed with freshly boiled water and allowed to steep for four minutes, you will have yourself an amazing perfect cuppa tea! Rich smooth waves of delicious rich slightly astringent tea encases each and every sip with the most gorgeously silky finish.
Simple yet so full of flavors that all combine so well. I’ve found that this tea is one of the more satisfying teas that I have had in a while and I can’t help but sit back and really immerse myself in the cuppa as I sip away.
This tea is a true gem and one that I have greedily sipped down in a few different sessions. Extremely appreciated to have been able to enjoy this delight and excited to hear what my other Sisters have to say about this tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Grey’s Tea
Description
Darjeeling Castleton Second Flush 2017 is from the Castleton garden established on the foothills between Darjeeling and Siliguri by Dr Charles Graham in 1885. In 1996 it became the first Indian tea garden to be awarded the ISO 9002 certificate of quality. This renown new season Darjeeling Castleton Second flush has a dark umber leaf. It is smooth, rich and has a distinct muscatel character with a long finish. Infuse one teaspoon per cup plus one for the pot with freshly drawn, boiling water for four minutes. Drink without milk. A most rewarding experience!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
