Good news! My warranty is covering having my camera fixed…or failing that replaced! Not a disaster after all. Though I am not sure how long it will take to get it backed, meaning I might have to use my phone camera to review new teas, or I will just rely on the rather large perpetual backlog I have…well…logged. I am breathing such a huge sigh of relief that my camera is not totally doomed, and glad I broke it when it was still under warranty!
It has been a while since I looked at a tea from India, so I thought I would rectify that with India Bihar Doke Hand-Made ‘Diamond’ Green Tea from What-Cha! This unique tea comes from the Doke Tea Garden run by the Lochan family, but what makes this garden so special is it grown in Bihar, an area that until now was not a tea growing region. The tea itself is hand-crafted, giving it a wonderful artisan feel, and also it means really big pretty leaves! The dry leaves are fairly dark, and they smell pretty epic. Strong notes of mango and citrus blend with gentle nuttiness and a slight undertone of leather, for a green tea it has an earthy heaviness which I find unique. One thing I found quite entertaining about the aroma is it was not just mango fruit, there was the definite green sharpness of mango skin, quite fascinating!
In my steeping apparatus, the leaves are not longer dark, turning vibrantly green while steeping. The aroma of the soggy leaves is intensely sweet, strong notes of mango and papaya for a tropical smelling pile of leaves, the addition of warm honey at the finish pushes the aroma to almost decadent. The liquid is very sweet, like mango nectar and a touch of papaya with honey and a tiny touch of vegetation at the finish, to remind me that this is a green tea and not a fruit.
Tasting this tea is quite the treat, it manages to be very smooth and delicate while also being intensely sweet. It starts with mango and freshly cut hay, the mango notes linger and mix with papaya and honey at the midtaste. For the finish there is a mingling of gentle tobacco and a slight nuttiness with a lingering mango sweetness that stays around for a while. This was a unique treat, just the right amount of sweetness, and the tobacco notes at the end give it depth and keep it from being too light.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/11/what-cha-india-bihar-doke-hand-made.html
Good news as I was worried about the camera!
I’m so glad the camera will get fixed!
Such a giant sigh of relief was sighed by me, that is for sure!