2011 First Invoice First Flush Darjeeling Nagri Estate

Thank you very much NofarS for this sample.

After my manic cupboard searching which was made much easier thanks to yesterdays cleaning I came across this Darjeeling sample. Just what I have been looking for.

The leaves are crisp and pungent with thick floral and perfumey musk tones. Certainly one of the strongest Darjeelings that I have sniffed.

Once steeped the tea is light brown and orange in colour and has a musky floral and fruity aroma.

Flavour is delicate in terms of flowers and fruit but thick on wood and musk. It is very perfumey with some dryness but light enough to still be refreshing. It also has a slightly sour tang but it quickly subsides. I actually brewed this one a little weaker than I usually would based primarily on it’s very strong raw scent. I’m glad I did because the levels are ok, it’s not as floral as I was hoping for but nice by all accounts.

I am still on the hunt for the perfect Darjeeling….

Made a large batch of this at work, and it went down well. People do appreciate good tea, even if they don’t always know where to get it or how to make it themselves

So, I definitely need more black teas at the office, apparently. Good thing my H&S order is being shipped directly here! (Not that I’m trying to hide it from my bf per se…. but more variety here will be nice!)

This is an interesting tea. It almost reminds me of a green with some of the notes. Odd! And it’s slightly bitter, but I guess that’s the muscatel notes you would expect from a Darjeeling? It’s a little grassy, but I’m getting honey too. Very pleasant, but not for daily consumption.

Oh and this is 1 cup away from a sipdown! I’m at 124 now, (assuming nothing arrived in the mail today), so I’m pretty happy about that! :) Of course I’ve got 10 from Butiki and 8 from Harney&Sons coming, as well as a bunch from Terri. My work is never done! Bwahahah