Shangri-la is defined as a remote, beautiful, imaginary place. So one would assume that when using this name for a tea they are suggesting it is a beautiful tea, with beautiful flavor. Utopian tea. This unique tea, while classified as a black tea is more akin to a Darjeeling. Though all Darjeelings are currently classified under black processing they are actually processed slightly different and that is what leads to their uniqueness. The difference is in two parts of the processing stage: The wither stage, which is longer than black, and the oxidation stage, in which the leave will not be allowed to fully oxidize like black tea does. If one was trying to determine what type of tea this was simply by looking at the leaves they may find it tough going as Darjeeling leaves are greener in color then black leaves. This tea in particular has gorgeous rolled leaves of slight greens, browns, and whites. The aroma is simply, shangri-la. Pleasant and beautiful. The flavor is equivalent. Clean and refreshing with floral and slight vegetal notes. One of the main reasons this tea will probably not be considered a Darjeeling, at least for now, is because it is not grown in Darjeeling. Only a tea grown in Darjeeling can be called one.
3 min, 30 sec
1 tsp
