Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zen Tea
Tea Description:
Golden tips evoke the hot sun of the early June Second Flush Harvest. One of finest producers in region delivers a beautiful example of what is possible under the right conditions. Slightly heartier and creamier than some whole leaf Assams, this selection picks up deep malty notes of cocoa and subtle fruit.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a little while since I’ve had a really good, pure Assam tea … so when this tea arrived I was quick to brew up a pot of it, forsaking some of the other teas that I’ve had waiting for me for some time now. (Don’t worry, my pretties, I’ll get to you soon!)
And I am so glad that I decided to brew this … it’s just exactly what I needed! I’ve been feeling a bit off lately … not exactly sick, although I’ve had symptoms, but really, the cause is lack of sleep. My youngest daughter just started up school again not too long ago and I am one of those people that if they don’t get enough sleep, I start feeling sick with the aches, cold sweats, and nausea. But, I go back to bed for a couple of hours and presto, I’m feeling much more like myself now. Hopefully, I’ll get used to the new sleeping schedule soon!
Until then, thank goodness for Assam tea which has the delicious flavor and strength to help me shake what little residual feelings I might have after my short nap.
And this Assam is one of the very best that I’ve tried in a very long time. The aroma of the dry leaf is earthy and sweet and it brought a smile to my face like I had just met up with an old friend that I hadn’t seen in a while. The brewed tea maintains that sweet fragrance, although the scent is softer than when the tea is dry.
As for the taste: Oh wow… this tastes amazing. It is bold and earthy, with a delectable caramel-y sweetness. The caramel is further emphasized by the malt tones, and I even just noticed a hint of freshly roasted coffee in there too. It has a creaminess to it (and this could be enhanced with a splash of cream if you want to go latte, I did not, and still find it quite creamy without) Very rich, very complex, and very much a joy to drink.
And oh yes… it definitely has the gusto to get one motivated, too! If you like Assam, you’ve really got to try this one … it’s AMAZING!
Goomtee Silver Green 2nd Flush from Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Description:
GOOMTEE SILVER GREEN is a visual delight for GREEN TEA LOVERS. This tea comes with a lot of SILVER NEEDLES to add glory to this wonderful and rare tea. Each sip is an instant trip to blissful nirvana.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh… this is nice!
I am absolutely loving this Goomtee Silver Green! It’s not at all what I expected when I first opened the package. As I usually do when I first open a package of tea, I inhaled deeply to take in the fragrance. It had a very vegetative and earthy fragrance, reminding me of the forest floor here in the Pacific Northwest – earthy, mossy, and woody.
Once it’s brewed it takes on a stronger vegetative tone, reminding me a bit of the smell that I’d experience while walking through the “green” section of the produce area in a natural foods market. Very green. Very fresh.
The taste is not quite as vegetative as I would have expected given the strong vegetative and earthy tones I experienced from smelling the dry leaf. Sure, it’s still vegetative, but, it is more like mild vegetables, like something between a steamed artichoke and steamed spinach, with a lovely buttery undertone. It’s remarkably smooth and free of that bitter grassy tone that green teas can sometimes possess. It has a slight astringency to it … but again, not nearly as much as I would expect from a Darjeeling green.
But it still has much of what I would expect from a Darjeeling green, too. It has that crisp, vibrant taste that is almost bubbly. Hints of fruit notes, although with this green variety the fruit notes are not as strongly pronounced as they might be with an oxidized Darjeeling. Hints of spice as well, but again, a mellower spice note than what I might experience from an oxidized Darjeeling.
A spectacular tea, I just love the sweetness of this cup, as well as the deliciously satisfying broth-y taste. It is very comforting, a nice cuppa to enjoy with the cooler weather of autumn.
Temi 1st Flush from Tea Horse
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Tea Horse
Tea Description:
A beautifully bright fragrant rare tea from the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a lovely single estate Darjeeling! So crisp and bright tasting; it has a clean, uplifting flavor that is perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up … which is just what I need right at this very moment!
The aroma is pleasing with subtle notes of flower and fruit, I also detect notes of wood and gentle spices. This fragrance tells of what the flavor has in store, as I taste layers of flavor. The overall cup is so light and refreshing, it almost seems to sparkle on the tongue. No wonder Darjeeling is often called the “Champagne of Teas.”
This is a tea that benefits from a few moments of cooling off time after the tea has been decanted. When very hot, the flavors seem almost jumbled together, resulting in an overall taste that is crisp and delicious, but it is difficult to discern all the different facets of flavor within the sip. After cooling for about three minutes, though, those layers of flavor really begin to come to life, ready to reveal themselves.
Up front, I notice a lovely flowery note – not a sharp floral tone, its more like a soft, sweet note that melds almost seamlessly with a wood-like tones, evoking thoughts of a tree in bloom. Beneath this flavor I notice a gentle, warm set of ambiguous spices which lends an exotic touch to this cup.
In this Darjeeling, there does not seem to be a strong “muscatel” presence … at least, not at first. Instead, I detect a cleaner, lighter fruit tone, tasting a bit like a finely filtered apple juice, crisp and sweet. It is quite faint, really, as if maybe a drop or two of the juice were added to the cup. However, as I made my way to mid-cup, I began to notice a slight muscatel-esque taste emerging. These fruit notes never really become distinctly pronounced, though. Very soft and clean, in keeping with what seems to be the overall theme of this tea.
Also keeping with the clean taste, the astringency seems to cleanse the palate. The aftertaste is equally as clean, leaving only hints of what was tasted during the sip: whispers of flowers, slightly woody, insinuations of fruit, and a dash of spice.
This is one of those teas that you want to enjoy on a quiet afternoon. It is a contemplative cup that restores you as you explore its many layers of flavor. A truly wonderful experience.
Biodynamic Darjeeling from The Tea Merchant
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tea Merchant
Tea Description:
Our select high grown tea is hand picked, artisan processed, and brews a brisk, bright cup much lighter than other black teas. It is grown in high altitude steep slopes of up to 4000 ft. This tea is from the Makaibari estate in the Darjeeling hills at one of the last family-owned tea estates in Darjeeling, India. It is home to the finest high grown Darjeeling teas and the leader of biodynamic and organic permaculture.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea company recently introduced itself to the Steepster Community, and offered some of us samples! I’m not one to turn down a tea sample, so I spoke up, and not long after did a box arrive with four delightful samples inside, including this Biodynamic Darjeeling. I mention all of this only because I wanted to take a moment to tell you about the packaging! The four samples were packaged in sturdy, resealable pouches that were then wrapped in tissue paper and then sealed with a wax seal. I love little touches like this. It may seem like one of those unnecessary, frivolous touches, but I happen to like it when a company takes the time to make the package special – it’s like getting a gift from a friend.
And what a gift! This Biodynamic Darjeeling is really quite wonderful.
The aroma of the dry leaf is light and fruity, and the brewed tea maintains much of that fruity quality. The fruit notes are evident in the taste as well. Muscatel! A sweet, wine-y grape flavor, as well as a hint of apple in the background. I notice that the fruit notes seem to intensify as the tea cools, but don’t let it cool too much! Sure, this would make a fine iced tea, but, to really discover all the nuances this tea has to offer, I recommend drinking it hot.
It has a deep, woodsy tone to it, but it still maintains that light, crisp taste that seems to be an inherent quality of a Darjeeling. Sweet with hints of earthy spice – this is neither too earthy, nor too spicy, nor too sweet. It has such a pleasant fullness to it, while keeping it’s beautifully light character.
This is very enjoyable – this is the kind of tea that you’ll want to have on hand for those afternoons when you just want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea … and it would also be an excellent tea to serve to the guests. (But be warned, if you serve this one to guests, they’re likely to be guests again!)
Craigmore English Breakfast FOP from Deckan Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Deckan Tea
Tea Description:
A delicious black tea from the Nilgiri Mountains of Southern India that is very fragrant, fruity and ideal through out the day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea surprised me a little. When I read the label and saw “English Breakfast” on there, I thought “ok, a breakfast blend, probably a blend of Assam and Ceylon.” I figured I was in for the “usual standard fare” when it comes to English Breakfast blends. But upon closer inspection, I noticed that this doesn’t appear to be a blend at all. It appears to be a pure Nilgiri, from the Craigmore Estate, no less!
And wow! This “breakfast” tea is wonderful. It has managed to strike that balance between an invigorating “get up and go” type of tea and a “slow down and enjoy the amazing flavor” kind of tea. It is rich and robust, delicious, malty, a little earthy, and possesses that highly prized biscuit-y kind of quality, but still has a bracing, stimulating effect to help wake and refresh you.
I prefer most of my breakfast teas hot, but I think that this would be absolutely delicious served iced too. When served hot, it takes the additions of milk (or cream) and honey (or sugar) quite well, but is also delicious served straight with no additions. When served iced, enjoy it with a sliver of lemon or perhaps a sprig of mint.
An unexpectedly wonderful English Breakfast!