Darjeeling

Um, its warm. And…not earl grey or lipton. My third option at work for when I’m tired of having the same taste all the time, like a slight kick-in-the-face in the morning to get me jumpstarted. Nothing unique though, and doesn’t do well for a second steep. I’m sure it would taste better if I had the ability to properly drink it with better temperatures, etc, but at work its ehh.

Another one of the free work teas. I really like this one, almost better than the English breakfast. For anyone who knows how addicted to caffeine I am, that’s surprising. But this is more smooth, more mellow. I think I may enjoy this more than the harsher breakfast in the afternoons to combat the “food coma” from lunch.

The liquor is a dark gold, very lovely. The smell is actually not that strong, which I rather like. You get a burst of the black tea taste at the front of the sip, then a nice easy smoothness comes that I can only describe as “leafy”. Reminds me of a warm forest in early fall. Not too astringent, either. I like this one.

Not a huge fan of bagged tea (trying not to use the term, “teabag”), but sometimes it’s a necessary evil when in a hurry.

I thought Bigelow English Breakfast and Darjeeling tasted the same when I first tried them, but this was when I was new to tea and my palate was even less refined than it is now. I have since moved on to loose leaf, but this is an acceptable fall-back plain black tea.

Many thanks to Princess Cruises for turning me on to my “every morning Darjeeling “

Eminently drinkable for a relatively inexpensive tea. Two minutes for the first steep, and however long for the second.

Thanksgiving at mom’s, Day 2, Tea 5.

Darjeeling is one of my favorite styles of black tea, but it’s sometimes hard to find a good one. Lots of it is pretty bland and boring, and then there’s the designer brands’ version that is more experimental blend than anything I am looking for.

Here we go Bigelow. A company known for no nonsense, basic, straight forward teas.

This does not disappoint. Basic, straight forward, nothing extra or out of the ordinary. It’s not trying to be anything it isn’t, it’s just a simple Darjeeling. And a good one at that.

I’ve had good Darjeelings, freaking amazing Darjeelings, weak Darjeelings, and designer Darjeelings.

Where does this one fit in? This is the solid, consistent, well balanced and great tasting boxed Darjeeling. Sure there’s better out there, but I would call this the benchmark for the rest.

Well done, Bigelow.

Granted, I’m not very well-versed in black teas, but I’m pleased with this one! Very light and sparkly; not too bitter. The finish is buttery, smooth and sweet. I wouldn’t call the flavor particularly “interesting”, but it’s certainly refreshing. A nice daily choice!

Price wise, it’s a nice go to tea. It misses on the fruitiness but doesn’t overwhelm you either.

Darjeeling is something I am not very experienced in. Bagged darjeeling is sort of opposing idea as well, just like oolongs; it’s a premium tea in a generic format. The flavor of this one is generally good. I fail to find good grape/citrus notes but it delivers full force on the pleasant bitterness front. So much in fact that I find it a bit too strong to have on an empty stomach. It packs the punch and in no way can be described as mediocre or generic tea, the Darjeeling heritage is definitely there regardless of whether it’s very refined. For a bagged tea it’s a strong contender.