Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
A well-crafted Darjeeling first flush tea, with refreshing floral and lime notes, from a garden famous for its high quality clonal teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
If you were to peek into my teacup at this moment, you wouldn’t think that the tea that I’m drinking is a ‘black’ tea. This Darjeeling is one of the lighter “black” Darjeeling teas I’ve encountered, so much so that it looks like a green … veering on the edge of almost looking like a white tea with it’s silvery tips and snowy down covering the dry leaves.
I’ve tried many different first flush Darjeeling and while I do maintain that the second flush is my preference, this Singbulli Darjeeling first flush is so good that I could change my mind as I sip this! It’s a beautiful tea experience!
As the above description suggests, I am experiencing notes of flower and bright lime notes. This is not as “wine-like” as some Darjeeling teas. This is very light and crisp, again, reminiscent of a green tea. It has a vibrant, fresh taste. (And why shouldn’t it? This tea was harvested in 2014!)
The first 1/3 of the cup, I tasted mostly the floral and lime notes, and as I approached the mid-cup point, I could taste more fruit notes start to emerge. Notes of sweet grape and a slight vegetal tone. The texture softens and becomes more silken. I notice less astringency now than I did at the start of this cup. The aftertaste has a tangy (almost tart!) citrus-y flavor.
This tea is a very clean and refreshing hot beverage. I drank about half of the pot that I prepared of this tea while it was hot, and then I allowed the rest to cool to see how it tastes as an iced tea. I have to say that while I do prefer this one hot, it makes a tasty iced tea too.
Another win from Happy Earth Tea! If you’re serious about your first flush Darjeeling teas, you really should check out their selection! They’re organic and absolutely FABULOUS!
Organic Sungma Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
An enchanting Darjeeling first flush with a highly refined floral bouquet and well rounded flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was so excited to receive a selection of the fresh, spring harvested teas from Happy Earth Tea! This Organic Sungma Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush is the first that I’ve tried from their 2014 teas.
Ahh! It is crisp and invigorating when it washes over the palate. If your tea repertoire tends to be of the “usual” teas like blacks and greens, you really should incorporate a Darjeeling tea in there every once in a while. It really wakes up the palate!
And the flavor is smooth and sweet with notes of flower and fruit. I don’t get a strong “muscatel” from this Darjeeling, then again, it is a first flush and you can expect more muscatel from the second flush than the first. But this does have some wine-like notes that are muscatel-ish and make this fan of Darjeeling happy.
It has a nicely round flavor and less astringency than I would have expected from a Darjeeling. A really nice sweetness comes from the fruit notes. A sweet aftertaste. I find this to be more fruity and less woodsy than a typical Darjeeling.
Overall, this is one of the nicest first flush Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted in a while. I love that it’s so fresh, I love that it’s Organic, and I love that it’s a Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance tea. I love Happy Earth’s dedication to our planet! Everything about this tea – rocks!
Organic Arya Ruby Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
Second Flush Arya Ruby is much sought after by Darjeeling tea enthusiasts for its rich muscatel and a floral-fruity complexity. Our earlier batch was entirely sold out even before we could put it up on the website. We are glad we managed to get a fresh stock, albeit limited.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
YES! This Organic Arya Ruby Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush from Happy Earth Tea is the type of Darjeeling that I think of when I think “Darjeeling Tea.” This is it! When I say “I think I’d like a Darjeeling Tea today … this is the kind of Darjeeling that moves me to want that type of tea! This is the Darjeeling I LOVE!
This is as close to perfect that a Darjeeling can get.
As with most Darjeeling teas, it has a lighter body than a typical black tea. A typical black tea generally delivers a rich and robust flavor while this Darjeeling delivers a crisp and lively flavor. This has a smoothness to it and a milder astringency than many Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted.
This is sweet! Lovely floral notes that weave their way throughout the sip. Toward mid-sip, I find that muscatel. Piquant and fruity. It’s a delicate muscatel note and keeps to the rest of the flavors within the tea. That is to say that this tea isn’t just about it’s grape-y notes. This Arya Darjeeling has a wonderfully complex character.
Toward the tail, I notice the dry wine-like astringency. Again, this astringency is mild, much more so than I might experience with another Darjeeling tea.
I think I just found my favorite Darjeeling tea. If I could, I’d put this on everybody’s MUST TRY list, because you really have got to try it!
Risheehat Organic Darjeeling First Flush 2013 SFTGFOP1 from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
This is a tea sweet with floral-fruity notes and a classic first flush briskness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Usually, I prefer a second flush Darjeeling over a first flush, but, I’m really liking this Risheehat Organic Darjeeling First Flush 2013 SFTGFOP1 from Happy Earth Tea. It has an appealing balance of fruit and flower notes and a crisp, clean taste.
The leaves are a bit darker than the photo above suggests, and they brew a light golden brown liquid. The aroma of the tea is sweet and flowery.
The flavor is light and has a crispness to it that is very “Darjeeling-esque” … you know what I mean? That light, somewhat astringent, crisp flavor that Darjeeling teas are known for? Yeah, that. I like how clean my mouth feels after I take a sip.
The flavor is sweet and there are notes of fruit that are somewhat reminiscent of grapes. This does have a faint muscatel to it, although it isn’t as muscatel-ish as you’d find in a typical second flush. There are also subtle woodsy notes. It’s a very pleasantly complex cuppa. The finish reminds me of a fine wine.
It is unfortunate (but not surprising!) that this tea is sold out for 2013. I highly recommend keeping your eye on the Happy Earth Tea website when spring comes for the 2014 harvest, because this tea is well worth the effort! It’s a good one!
Organic Puttabong STGFOP1 First Flush Darjeeling from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
Light golden and bright liquor with a floral and malty flavor. It has a mellow taste with subtle citrus hints and a sweet lingering finish. Deeply satisfying.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this Organic Puttabong STGFOP1 First Flush Darjeeling from Happy Earth Tea has a pleasant earthy scent. Once brewed, the aroma becomes more woodsy and floral, but I can still detect some of the earthy tones I noticed in the dry leaf.
The flavor is mild and possesses light fruit notes. There is also notes of flower and wood, but I’m not tasting so much of the earthy notes found in the fragrance.
I like the how the floral notes build. They start off really subtle, and then toward mid-cup, they become much more pronounced. It’s a sweet, exotic sort of flowery taste, orchid perhaps? The woodsy notes are much more subdued here, and they seem to be there to offer a more grounded contrast in flavor to the floral tones.
The fruit notes start off rather obscure … I can taste a ‘fruit-like’ note but, it isn’t really distinct or well-defined. After I’ve consumed about a quarter of the cup, though, I start to notice bright citrus-y notes.
There isn’t a lot of “muscatel” taste to this Darjeeling, then again, I didn’t really expect there to be, because this is a first flush tea, and typically first flush Darjeeling teas do not possess much of a strong muscatel flavor. But, that’s OK … I enjoy this tea for what it is! It is a crisp tea with a refreshing taste that seems to sparkle on the palate as I sip it. Very nice!