Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Excellent Tea Company
Tea Description:
The Excellent Tea Company’s Superb Black Tea is a pesticide-free, Fair Trade Certified,* single-estate tea bag from the Mountains of the Moon in Rwanda, East Africa, where the high altitude, clean air, and fertile volcanic soils produce exceptionally smooth and highly prized tea without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilizers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Hmm… I like this. It’s a decent black tea, rich and malty, and I like that it’s pesticide-free and Fair Trade.
I do find myself wishing it was not a bagged tea. Perhaps it’s just me, but, I could swear that I taste a “wet paper” kind of taste in there. It isn’t a strong taste, and it isn’t off-putting enough so that I want to stop drinking it … but I do still wish it wasn’t there, and I wonder if it is indeed from the filter paper bag.
But despite this one misgiving about the tea, I must say that it is a tasty tea, and it is quite economical too. The fact that it is bagged means that it’s convenient – ideal for one of those days when you don’t have time to go loose leaf (and we all have those days on occasion, don’t we?) And even though it is a bagged tea, it’s one of the better tasting bagged teas I’ve had in a while … even with that faint “wet paper” taste that I am detecting.
Overall, this is an enjoyable tea. I don’t know that I’d go so far as to call it Superb … but, I enjoyed it.
Darjeeling Superb 6000 from Grace Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Grace Tea Company
Tea Description:
From the high Himalayas of North India, Darjeeling tea is grown more than 6,000 feet above sea level, where a cooler temperature promotes slow plant growth. This altitude gives the smaller leaves greater flavor and aroma. Tea of this quality is hand-picked once a year from the early summer flush, so supply is always limited. Our selection hints of delicate fruit overtones with each sip. We’re sure those who enjoy a superior Darjeeling will find the stimulating taste, bright color and rich body of this tea a true delight.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I do with every tea that I sample, I opened the package and took a deep whiff of the tea … this tea smells of earth, wood and even a hint of cocoa. I don’t usually detect chocolate-y notes from a Darjeeling, so that alone got me very excited to taste this tea. Not that I wasn’t excited to try it before that – I’m almost always happy to try a new tea, although some teas elicit more excitement than others. Darjeeling teas tend to inspire a fair amount of enthusiasm, but this rare combination of cocoa notes plus Darjeeling tea rendered an above average amount of zeal.
Wow! This tea certainly was worth the enthusiasm I experienced. It is one of the nicest Darjeeling teas I’ve tasted in some time. The flavor has much of what I might expect from a Darjeeling: crisp, fruity notes that seem to almost sparkle on the tongue with a hint of muscatel and woodsy notes. It tastes light, although it seems to have a bit more body than some of the lighter (greener) Darjeeling teas I’ve encountered.
The cocoa notes are there too! They are much more discreet than in the aroma, but, I taste just a hint of dark chocolate-y goodness in the background. As I continue to sip, I find that the flavor becomes richer and the body becomes fuller, developing into what I might almost consider a full-bodied tea. Not quite… but almost.
This is really an inspired cup of Darjeeling. Absolutely unique, and definitely worth trying, especially for those who are fond of Darjeeling. This one is different, but with this tea especially, I’d say that different is good!