Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
This is a classic First Flush (spring harvest) Darjeeling with layers of subtle flavors. It has a mellow floral bouquet, with a good balance of sweet notes and a dry briskness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The above photo might suggest that the dry leaf of this tea is a bit greener than the leaves appeared to me. There are some green leaves there, but overall, I found the tea to be more of a medium brown color with varying shades of tan and grey, with some green leaves and green tips. The aroma of the dry leaf is much more like what the picture suggests to me: earthy and “green” (vegetative). Not so much like a green tea vegetative tone – it doesn’t smell grassy, really, or like steamed vegetables or kelp. It just smells … kind of leafy and floral. There are also delicious hints of fruit.
The flavor is a classic first flush Darjeeling taste. Crisp! Invigorating and yet light and clean on the palate. When I sip a Darjeeling like this Organic Sungma First Flush Darjeeling Tea from Happy Earth Tea, I find myself understanding why Darjeeling tea is called the “champagne of tea.” It seems to sparkle on the palate. It isn’t literally “effervescent” but, it seems to be bubbly and crisp as I sip it, evoking thoughts of sipping champagne.
It is a very uplifting kind of tea. The flavors are slightly earthy and vegetative, just as the fragrance of the dry leaf suggested, with notes of fruit weaving their way throughout the sip. It isn’t so much a “grape-y” muscatel kind of taste (this kind of flavor you are more likely to find in a second flush Darjeeling). Instead, I taste just a subtle, indistinct fruity note that melds with overtones of flower and woodsy tones. There is a nuttiness to this cup as well as a lovely malty tone that I’m really enjoying.
Overall, the tea is sweet and crisp, with a charming complexity that keeps me sipping. A very enjoyable example of a first flush Darjeeling, and I’m loving that it’s an organic tea!
Tusli Ginger Tea from Happy Earth Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tisane Description:
This tea is beam of golden sunlight . It is a vitalizing blend of holy basil and ginger, fragrant with spicy, floral and sweet notes. The pungency of the ginger blends with spicy-floral nature of the basil for an invigorating cup.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I chose to drink this after consuming some rather spicy, homemade chili (I do love my chili!) in the hopes that it would help soothe my tummy after such a spicy meal. Yes, I do love my spice, but, I often suffer for it afterward (heartburn!) and while there are many over the counter products that help with such problems, rather than turning to something like that, I prefer to take the more natural approach, and choose a tisane with ginger (or peppermint) to help with the problem.
And as I chose to compose this review a few hours later, I can say with complete confidence that this tea certainly helped in the stomach discomfort area. I did not have any heartburn last night, and my tummy felt very calm and soothed … it even felt as though it had been lovingly comforted, which I realize sounds kind of weird, but I don’t know how else to describe it, other than to say I didn’t feel anything that remotely suggested that I would suffer from heartburn.
There is a whole lot of ginger to this tisane … so if you’re one who doesn’t care for ginger, I can’t say that this would be the right tisane for you. But, I do like the way the Tulsi sort of softens the peppery bite of the ginger. Yes, there is still a lot of warming, peppery ginger to it, but, the gentle touch of Tulsi smooths out the ginger just enough to make it easier to drink than a pure ginger infusion would be.
The Tulsi gives a slightly earthy, herbaceous taste to the cup, while the ginger tastes, well, like ginger. Spicy! A hint of mint is in the background … like the mint taste you’d get from basil. On Steepster, I described the contrast between the Tulsi and the Ginger as a sort of good cop/bad cop kind of action on my taste buds. The Tulsi is gentle and mild, while the ginger is spicy and strong. But both are soothing in their own way.
I like this a lot more than I thought I would. It would be nice to have this on hand for the times I need some gingery comfort and relief.
Tulsi Green Tea from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea & Tulsi
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
This is a delicious and soothing blend of Indian green tea and Tulsi, also known as holy basil. The sweet, spicy and floral notes of the basil overlay the mellow astringency of green tea to produce an unexpectedly calming result. A few sharp notes – almost peppery – will be felt at the start, but it rounds off to an undertone of fresh straw that fuses nicely with the rest.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tasty blend that seems to be primarily focused on the combination of tulsi leaves (this blend uses three different varietals of the herb), rather than the green tea, as I found myself noticing more tulsi than green tea in the dry loose leaf blend before I infused the tea, and tasting more of the tulsi than green tea post infusion.
Not a complaint really – just an observation. The tulsi provides a pleasant herbaceous note that is warm and zesty, with a hint of sweetness and a cooling sensation that is almost mint-like. It gives this drinker a sense of calm as I drink the tea, and as I’ve been dealing with a bit of a cough these last couple of days, I find it rather soothing to the throat as well. (It’s allergy time!)
The green tea flavor seems to be only barely there. It is most noticeable in the texture of the tea, providing a slight broth/soup like consistency to the brew. It is also noticeable in the astringency, which is light but develops as I continue to sip.
I would have liked the green tea to be a bit more prominent in this, I think, but, overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable cup of tea. It is a very gentle, calming and soothing tea to drink. I drank it later in the evening and I found that it didn’t stimulate me the way most green teas would, instead, the tulsi started working toward instilling a sense of relaxation. I liked that quite a bit.
Marybong Spring – Darjeeling First Flush 2011 from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Product Description:
DRY LEAF: The leaves are small, wiry and well rolled, with colors raging from black to dark brown with a smattering of green. The aroma is a complex smorgasbord of floral and fruity notes with also biscuity and nutty characteristics.
INFUSION: The overall color of the wet leaves is dark brown. It has traces of green. The nose is long with mix of nutty, peppery and sweet aroma.
CUP: The light golden liquor has a sparkle that tells of the healthy bushes that went into making this tea. The flavor is brisk and sweet with a floral fragrance and a nutty undertone. The cup is refreshing, with a slight dry kick that does not detract from the enjoyment of the tea. The aftertaste is a lingering malty sweetness.
Brewing Directions: The leaves of this tea infuse pretty strongly. Please use only half a teaspoon for a cup/mug of tea. Do not steep for more than 3 minutes. If you find the liquor strong, you may add a pinch of sugar.
Company “About Us”:
Happy Earth Tea brings to the US tea enthusiasts Darjeeling, a classic vintage of the tea world.
Founded in 2010 by husband-wife team, Niraj Lama and Mary Boland, HET’s objective is to offer a variety of Darjeeling tea. While Indian teas are our basic interest – because we are most familiar with it – at HET we are also developing our own blends. We are trying combinations of tea and herbs to optimise taste and health benefits. All our ingredients are sourced from certified organic businesses.
HET, as a business, is a small home run venture, keen to reach out to people and foster a community of tea drinkers who believe in wholesome and sustainable living. We set up “shop” in 2010 in upstate New York, where people are warm and farms are all around. A perfect place to dream of a better world.
Niraj hails from Darjeeling. (Yes, Darjeeling is a actually a beautiful hill resort, located in the north east Himalayas of India.) He worked as a journalist until about five years ago, when his cup gained precendence over the pen.
Niraj and Mary set up Darjeeling Tea Exclusive, an online Darjeeling tea store in 2005. It was based in Darjeeling, and successfully purveyed the couple’s passion for fine teas around the world. Darjeeling Tea Exclusive still exists, grateful to the support of tea enthusiasts from different parts of the globe.
Happy Earth Tea caters currently to the North American market. Tea has entered an exciting new world in this region, and we want to be here to share in it and take it further.
Tasters Review:
Recently Anne and I received a package from Happy Earth Tea – a company based in Rochester, NY, and after emailing back and forth with the owners we know these people KNOW their Darjeeling Teas! They KNOW the Tea and the LOCATION of Darjeeling as you can see above from the company’s “About Us”. They are very nice to deal with via email! You can tell customer service is a TOP priority with this company!
So far I have tried a few of the teas and I am very impressed! They are delicious! But…this is my first of many reviews of their tea I will be posting here at Sororitea Sisters! I really couldn’t wait to post one!
I was in LOVE with this Marybong Spring after the very first sip! What really MADE this cup for me was the SMOOTHNESS of it. There are many Darjeelings out there that have a bite. This is one that highlights the SMOOTHNESS! It’s Incredibly smooth! It’s also fairly malty! This tea is a bit floral – but not grassy floral. It has a hint of nuttiness as well! This is an awesomely smooth Darjeeling! I think it’s just lovely!
The color was beautiful too! Post infusion – it glows of a medium brown with a tinge of orange!
This tea made my day shiny and bright!
