Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Deckan Tea
Tea Description:
Green tea from the Nilgiri’s of Southern India. Very rich in anti-oxidants with a smooth, subtle smoky aroma. Only use half a teaspoon per 8 oz cup of water and steep for one minute. Enjoy it plain with a squeeze of lemon drops, hot.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened this package and peeked inside, the tea leaves looked a little bit like a Chun Mee tea as well as a bit of a Gunpowder Green tea. If you were to somehow marry the two tea types, this tea would look like the offspring of the two.
It possesses a smoky aroma, a bit smokier than some Gunpowder green teas I’ve encountered, but it isn’t as smoky as say, a Lapsang Souchong or even a Caravan blend. The smokiness melds with the essence of the green tea leaves in such a way that it comes off as a savory smoke that is really quite enticing. The fragrance of the brewed tea is quite similar, but, it might even be a tad smokier than the dry leaf.
The flavor is incredible. It is smooth and sweet, but also quite savory. In fact, I’d say that the savoriness of this tea outweighs the sweetness, but, the way the two flavor elements meld together is really quite delightful. It tastes like a mild green vegetable that has been smoke-roasted, which brings out the sweetness of the vegetable but at the same time imparts a savory quality that tantalizes the taste buds.
It isn’t what I’d call grassy, though there is some characteristics of this tea that can be considered “grassy.” So to explain my position on it, I’d say that it is more savory than a sweet grass taste, and not at all that bitter green grassy kind of taste. It is an interesting savory grassy taste that is quite unlike anything I’ve tasted before. And I am really liking it.
This is a very different approach to green tea, quite unlike a Chinese green or a Japanese green, and definitely one that I’d recommend to those who like green teas and are looking to expand their horizons a bit.
