The first of a six pack that I got from Darjeeling Tea Boutique. I ordered two, but got four free samples! How awesome is that?
Anyway…
When I first opened the pack and took a whiff, I was pleasantly surprised at how differently the dry leaves smelled compared to the black autumn flush Giddapahar that I’d ordered last year. The latter was very strong, almost overwhelming in a strange scent that I couldn’t (and still can’t) quite put my finger on. But it’s definitely unique.
This one also smelled rather strong, but in a way that I could almost immediately recognize as sweetness. A sweet, strong scent that wasn’t so much overpowering as it was intoxicating. I knew I had to taste it (well of course, since I’d already opened it lol!).
My electric kettle broke down a while back, so I had to settle with the stove and a saucepan. Put in half a teaspoon of leaves – didn’t want to use too much – into my 350ml teapot, and let it steep for 2 and a half minutes.
Poured it out. Wasn’t green. Probably because my water was too hot. Tasted it. Mild, of course. Pleasantly mild, reminds me of the raw puehr I had last year. I think I’m going to have to steep more leaves to get more taste out of this, but this is very nice by itself.
Very very mild, almost barely noticeable astringency at the end, just a puckering of the tongue rather than any kind of bitterness. I’ll probably have to drop the temperature and increase the amount of leaves next time, but this is really good.
Second cup was of course a lot more astringent because I left the leaves in, but I made sure to mix in enough water to cool it down and slow the… whatever process that releases tannins. Kept it steeping while I drank the first cup. Apparently it didn’t slow down enough, because now my mouth is a lot more puckered.
No bitterness, though. I’ll update this when I try doing it under better conditions, haha.
Flavors: Nectar, Sweet
