I finally got my order from Teabox around a week or so ago. Ordering from them ended up being such a huge fiasco. My address kept getting messed up and I was not sure if I was ever going to get my order. Well, after it arrived safe and sound, I decided to just go ahead and jump into the teas. I needed to know if the hassle was worth it. This was the first tea I tried, and I have to say that I was impressed. I have long liked the teas coming out of some of India’s lesser known tea production regions and this one was no exception.
This particular tea is a so-called cloud tea hailing from the state of Meghalaya in North-East India. Cloud teas are generally renowned for their soft, fruity aromas and flavors. I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped around 3 grams of loose leaf material in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions.
Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted gentle aromas of malt, sandalwood, and fruit. After infusion, I immediately picked up a unique blend of tangerine, melon, and jackfruit aromas balanced by traces of roasted nuts, sandalwood, malt, and fresh flowers. In the mouth, strong notes of Canary melon, jackfruit, tangerine, pear, and white grape were immediately apparent, though undertones of lemon zest, papaya, and mango did not take long to appear. I also noted a nice, mellow blend of roasted almond, honey roasted peanut, malt, toast, sandalwood, herb, straw, and floral notes. Teabox compared this tea’s floral flavor to that of orchids, but I thought it was more reminiscent of a combination of marigold, chrysanthemum, and dandelion. I also noted subtle nutmeg and smoke notes lurking around the fringes. The finish brought out new flavors of butter and caramel to balance lingering touches of roasted nuts, toast, and malt.
A truly unique, fascinating tea with a pleasant flow from fruity to woody/nutty/herbal/grainy and then on to floral before finishing with a nice blend of savory and woody, nutty, grainy elements, it made the hassle of an extended wait for my order worth it. This was my first Meghalaya tea, but it will not be my last. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a unique, flavorful black tea suitable for pretty much any time of day.
Flavors: Almond, Butter, Caramel, Citrus, Dandelion, Floral, Fruity, Herbs, Lemon Zest, Malt, Mango, Melon, Nutmeg, Peanut, Pear, Roasted, Smoke, Straw, Toast, White Grapes, Wood
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This sounds very interesting. I’m devoting the second half of this year to explore hongcha from different terroir so this could fit right in. In the interest of sanity I might make my way through the huge number of hongcha I already have on hand first. Oh and thanks for introducing me to yet another vendor to take my money :)
17 bucks for a oz and a half…dang. It must be a good tea. Teabox is so hit or miss for me, though straight teas have been better than their blends so far. I frickin’ loved the Giddapahar Special Summer Muscatel, not the Classic, whereas some of the samples were bland. One exception was the Mountain Rose blend because it was loaded with a desserty-cardamom scent a midst a cocoa like malty tea base, but the other ones weren’t so great. The Indian Marigold was a let down-think a dry, bready and nutty oolong scented with loads of saffron, some almonds thrown in, and a sprinkle of vanilla. The idea of it sounds amazing, but the end result was like drinking dry and bitter saffron crackers. I added more vanilla to cream it out, which worked, but I hardly touch the tea now.
Yeah, their prices are a bit high for my liking, but I felt this tea was worth it. To be honest, I have the same issue with Teabox. I find the quality to be hit or miss. I have some of the Giddapahar Special Summer Muscatel coming my way, so we’ll see how that one goes. I ended up deciding to prioritize the acquisition of some second flush Darjeelings due to expected shortages.
Oh, and when it comes to their blends, I’ve only had their chais. I found they ranged from good to kind of weird. The Kolkata Street Chai, in particular, really struck me in an odd, uncomfortable kind of way. Something about it seemed off to me, so I just added lots of milk and honey to drown out the weirdness.
“The flavor is virile and aroma heady” and creating that using CTC Assam, saffron and nutmeg…..eh.
Well, I hope you like the Giddapahar Special. I had it two years ago, and it was the tea that changed my mind about Darjeelings. They used to be overly dry and herby for my palette compared to Yunnan Hong Cha’s, but after that one, I started trying more and more turning them into my preference. And, well, to Alistairs selection. I still need to try a Vahdam one eventually.
So far, I have found Vahdam to be more consistent than Teabox, but I have not had a tremendous number of teas from either vendor.
This sounds very interesting. I’m devoting the second half of this year to explore hongcha from different terroir so this could fit right in. In the interest of sanity I might make my way through the huge number of hongcha I already have on hand first. Oh and thanks for introducing me to yet another vendor to take my money :)
17 bucks for a oz and a half…dang. It must be a good tea. Teabox is so hit or miss for me, though straight teas have been better than their blends so far. I frickin’ loved the Giddapahar Special Summer Muscatel, not the Classic, whereas some of the samples were bland. One exception was the Mountain Rose blend because it was loaded with a desserty-cardamom scent a midst a cocoa like malty tea base, but the other ones weren’t so great. The Indian Marigold was a let down-think a dry, bready and nutty oolong scented with loads of saffron, some almonds thrown in, and a sprinkle of vanilla. The idea of it sounds amazing, but the end result was like drinking dry and bitter saffron crackers. I added more vanilla to cream it out, which worked, but I hardly touch the tea now.
Yeah, their prices are a bit high for my liking, but I felt this tea was worth it. To be honest, I have the same issue with Teabox. I find the quality to be hit or miss. I have some of the Giddapahar Special Summer Muscatel coming my way, so we’ll see how that one goes. I ended up deciding to prioritize the acquisition of some second flush Darjeelings due to expected shortages.
Oh, and when it comes to their blends, I’ve only had their chais. I found they ranged from good to kind of weird. The Kolkata Street Chai, in particular, really struck me in an odd, uncomfortable kind of way. Something about it seemed off to me, so I just added lots of milk and honey to drown out the weirdness.
“The flavor is virile and aroma heady” and creating that using CTC Assam, saffron and nutmeg…..eh.
Well, I hope you like the Giddapahar Special. I had it two years ago, and it was the tea that changed my mind about Darjeelings. They used to be overly dry and herby for my palette compared to Yunnan Hong Cha’s, but after that one, I started trying more and more turning them into my preference. And, well, to Alistairs selection. I still need to try a Vahdam one eventually.
So far, I have found Vahdam to be more consistent than Teabox, but I have not had a tremendous number of teas from either vendor.