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!
Namring Special Autumn Darjeeling Black Tea from Teabox
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Teabox
Tea Description:
Incredibly fresh & delicious teas chosen to match your tastes using data science.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Namring Special Autumn Darjeeling Black Tea from Teabox is not only a ‘mouthful’ to say – it’s also a ‘mouth full’ of tea to enjoy! Some of you already know that I start each and every day with a black tea and then after that I move on to other types of tea to enjoy throughout the day. When it comes to the tea base that I go thru the most that would be black teas. Namring Special Autumn Darjeeling Black Tea from Teabox is a black tea I would be proud to have in my tea stash at any given time.
Once infused it smells like what you would expect from a black tea base with an added speck of ‘crust’ to the aroma. Namring Special Autumn Darjeeling Black Tea from Teabox ‘brews’ deep and dark and the brown color stands strong. As for the taste it’s a medium-strength black tea flavor but more importantly (for me) it’s a bit astringent (but in a good way) and has a slight crusty flavor in the middle of the sip and subtle plum flavor towards the end of the sip.
Oh…how I LOVE teas with multiple layers and flavor morphing profiles. This one didn’t disappoint! Namring Special Autumn Darjeeling Black Tea from Teabox is “A O K” in my book!
Singbulli Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
A well-crafted Darjeeling first flush tea, with refreshing floral and lime notes.
DRY TEA: Long carefully rolled clonal leaves with shades of light and dark green. Amazingly soft and silky to touch. It has a fluffy body therefore you have to use a little more than usual for to make your cup. The dry leaf has herbaceous notes including lemongrass.
INFUSION: The leaves unfurl to vivid green, affording a nose of floral essence. Hints of citrus.
CUP: The pale amber liquor yields offers a sweet floral and lemony aroma. The mouthfeel is smooth and crisp. Sweet floral notes dominate in the palate with a touch of astringency, the underlying briskness that enlivens the cup. The finish is sweet that lingers for a long while.
1.5 tbsp for 8-12 oz cup.
Water Temp: near-boil, 190F
Steeping time 3 minutes.
COLD BREW: Darjeeling tea tastes just as delicious cold brew. Although the process takes a longer time, it is a wonderful substitute for iced tea. Click here to learn about cold brewing Darjeeling.
Singbulli is located in a Mirik area of Darjeeling and is spread over 473.95 hectare in altitude varying from 1200 to 4000 ft. The garden was established in 1924, and is known for producing some of the best Darjeeling clonal teas.
Learn more about the 2015 First Flush tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Darjeeling Singbulli First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea is a mighty fine Darjeeling, indeed! It’s organic, fair trade, and has the thumbs-up of the Rain forest Alliance. Those are just some of the reasons this tea lives up to the company name. Another reason could be because once I sipped on it – it was so good – if put a smile on my face!
This Darjeeling semi-earthy in a sense that it was ‘green’ and floral but not bitter-floral more of a Sweet Jasmine type floral. It has a greener flavor moreso like a green tea than a rough and tough black tea base. This tea held up to multiple infusions, too, which is always appreciated.
I like this Darjeeling Singbulli offering because it’s tasty and nice to have on hand for any time of the day. It makes a nice hot cup or cold cup of tea. It has a sturdy taste without being too overbearing. This tea gets a “HAPPY” review from me!
Giddapahar SFTGFOP 1 CH 2nd Flush 2013, Darjeeling from Lochan Tea Limited
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Lochan Tea Limited
Tea Description:
This tea is no longer on their website however I can tell you more about the estate.
About the Tea Estate: Giddapahar is located on a mountain which is just a short drive from Kurseong. The garden is situated at 4864 feet above sea level. The Estate is a small family owned Darjeeling tea estate which is also known as “Eagles Cliff” lying very close to Kurseong town. From the estate, one can view the magnificent site of the mountains which also makes it the perfect site for taking photographs.
Giddapahar is almost 100% covered with pure china tea bushes and has followed the legendary classic grade production of Darjeeling Teas. The tea from Giddapahar Estate is very delicate due to the lower temperatures here and also because the area itself is covered by mist for a good part of the year. Teas are planted and picked by using traditional methods. Due to the temperature, the tea bushes from the estate produce a fine bouquet with great aromatic quality and a delicate floral smell.
Taster’s Review:
Eventho this Giddapahar SFTGFOP 1 CH 2nd Flush 2013, Darjeeling from Lochan Tea Limited is no longer listed on their site or available for purchase I wanted to give it an honorable mention because it really was a fabulous tea! As you can see from the description above the Giddapahar estate is a small family owned Darjeeling tea estate that is situated in a zone with lower temperatures which makes teas from this region very delicate.
This specific Darjeeling is mostly floral on the nose with hints of wet woodsy sniffs, too! The flavor matches the aroma and is first and foremost floral with wet woods on the end sip. I find this to be a good ‘working tea’ which means (to me) that I enjoying while working or writing trying to reach deadlines (such as this).
Have you had a tea recent that you rediscovered from your personal collection that deserves an honorable mention that may no longer be available for purchase? If so tell us in comments!
Rohini Emerald Green First Flush Darjeeling from Udyan Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Udyan Tea
Tea Description:
Rohini has been planted with special green tea clones which have very less *tannin content in them. The teas made from these bushes taste smooth and sweet, with pronounced vegetable flavour. They aren’t bitter unlike their counterparts from the district. Rohini Emerald Green Tea is made from single leaf and a bud.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Rohini Emerald Green is a First Flush Darjeeling tea, a variety I’m particularly fond of. I’m intrigued by this one, though (more so than usual!) because the leaf is different from any I’ve seen before. It’s a fairly uniform mid-green in colour, with one or two lighter leaves and some yellow mottling. What’s surprising is that the leaves are large and curly, partially rolled but not tightly. I’ve never seen a first flush Darjeeling that looks quite like this one. I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 2.5 minutes in boiling water. The resulting liquor is a bright yellow-green, the scent reminiscent of a green tea. After an initial hit of orchid-like floral, there’s a distinctive vegetal scent. The leaves, once unfurled, remind me a little of oak tree leaves.
To taste, this tea is also unlike any Darjeeling I’ve tried before. In some ways, it’s far more like a green tea or an oolong than anything else. The initial flavour is lightly floral, in the sweet, heady way of orchids. It’s not an intensely perfumey floral, but rather like crushing the petals of an orchid or lily flower in your hand and then translating the scent into a taste. It’s difficult to describe, because it’s like the wrong sense is being used, but that’s as close as I can get to identifying the kind of sensation the floral produces. There’s a mild “green” flavour lurking underneath the floral, but it’s more chlorophyll than vegetal – not a flavour I’ve come across very often, but it works well here, continuing the floral theme. The texture reminds me a lot of an unflavoured milk oolong, in that it’s buttery and mildly creamy. It’s not thick tasting, exactly, but it has a sort of dairy cream feel to it that’s pleasant and unusual – almost a little “flat” tasting, but with a richness at the same time. The aftertaste is a little mineral, again reminding me of a green oolong. It’s a little like wet rock; a tiny bit metallic, but also fresh and clean.
This one was an experience for me, and I really savoured every sip. I’ve not come across a Darjeeling like this before, either in terms of taste or appearance, so it really made me think about, and question, my expectations. I enjoyed the flavour, even though floral teas aren’t usually my thing. Clearly I can still surprise myself on occasion! I’d happily recommend this one to most people, whether they’re fans of Darjeeling, green, oolong or floral teas. This tea certainly offers a unique experience, and its placed Udyan Tea more firmly on my personal radar.
