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Scheherazade drank Golden Darjeeling by Twinings

2238 tasting notes

177/365

Apparently, I hated this one last time I tried it. This time, not so much. That doesn’t mean I love it – I don’t think I could ever love this one, because the quality just isn’t there. It’s not unredeemingly awful, though. I don’t know why that is – perhaps Twinings have tweaked it some since I last tried it, or perhaps I just messed it up last time. Maybe I’m in a more receptive or expansive frame of mind. Who knows? Certainly not me.

I used similar parameters to those I employed for my last cup – 1 bag, 2 minutes, boiling water. It’s lightly grapey upfront, with a touch of orchid floral, and a light briskness. It’s not bitter, or astringent. In fact, for a bagged darjeeling, it’s pretty good. Considering the leaf is shredded almost to dust, it’s actually surprising.

I came by this one in a sample box I got for Christmas, and it isn’t one I’d choose to keep around. I like darjeeling, but there are much, much better ones out there. If it came to a choice between these bags and not drinking darjeeling at all, I’d forego darjeeling. That being said, there are definitely worse bagged blacks out there. I might not actively like this one, but I think we’ve improved from outright hate to relative indifference today. That’s progress.

Preparation

Boiling 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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Hi :) I’m Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s my latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.

0-10: Ugh. No. Never again. To me, undrinkable.