Summer Vacation! Trying a darjeeling from the T2 black sampler back this time. I’ve only ever had one other darjeeling before, and from what I remember, I did enjoy it a lot more than I like assam teas.
This Darjeeling from T2 doesn’t offer any special information regarding flush or whatnot, so I am not expecting much from it… I am more curious to just get a little more familiar with the tea type. The scent of the brewed tea is a little like autumn leaves, but with some floral notes. Flavorwise, it is actually a lot more astringent than I was expecting (I don’t remember the other darjeeling I’ve tried having so much bite to it). The flavor was a bit like autumn leaves, but with a bit more of a honeyed floral sweetness… until that really bitter astringent finish sets in. That just kind of ruined the whole cup. I’m wishing I hadn’t made the sampler according to the instructions, which said to brew the whole thing with 450ml of water… now I’m thinking I should’ve used way less leaf from the sampler and experimented with the ratios a bit because I think T2 has weighted this way too strongly for their own instructions. At least for my tastes. I probably could’ve made something drinkable with it if I’d done my own thing instead of following what it said on the package. As it is… way too much bitter astringency for me to enjoy these flavors. Even with a touch of honey.
Flavors: Astringent, Autumn Leaf Pile, Bitter, Floral, Honey, Malt, Tannin