Organic Darjeeling

Used up the last of the bags in the home stash this morning, though I still have about half a box at work. Of all the bags I’ve been experimenting with, this is one of the ones I will remember most fondly. Miss is probably too strong a word, though. I’m grateful to this tea for making me curious enough about darjeeling to go on to broaden my experiments into loose leaf and undoubtedly better things ahead.

It seemed like such a darjeeling day that I brewed up an old filterbag of Tazo Organic Darjeeling, having forgotten that I already wrote a tasting note for this one four months ago. So this is a rupture of my steady posting of 67 new tea notes in a row! Mistakes were made. I’ll pick up the pieces and move forward after this review.

My goal: to review 100 new teas before permitting myself consciously to brew any of the old standbys. Unfortunately, the intended effect of the Blazing New Rating scheme has been entirely undermined by the fact that I keep buying new teas. Perhaps my next challenge should be a true sipdown suite, with a moratium on new teas until my cupboard has been somewhat cleaned (not completely, of course!).

Nothing new to report on this old organic darjeeling, really. Still seems like a pretty average filterbag darjeeling to me. Still a bit bitter, even with a short steep. The liquor is dark orange amber, and the grassiness really stands out—which could be a virtue or a vice, depending upon one’s feelings about chewing cud.

This grocery store darjeeling makes no pretense to FTGFOP, nor does it name any illustrious names such as Margaret, nor aspirations such as Hope. The Himalayans are mentioned—again, probably for those ignorant of the fact that Darjeeling is a region of the world. We really have no idea which estate(s) the contents of the attractive bluish-teal envelope came from, but it’s pretty clear that it was swept off the floor .

It’s okay, that’s the most I can muster.

This was okay, but I really enjoy Twinings Darjeeling. This was really temperamental to brew. If you don’t watch out…it’s easy to brew it too long and have it come out bitter.

My first Darjeeling ever! As I have nothing to compare this to, it was pretty good; there was a nutty undertone that came close to being too bitter, but the buttery aftertaste evened it out. There are a multitude of flavours in this, so it’s difficult to determine the exact flavour of this tea. Anyway, I liked this but it certainly doesn’t compare to my darling Earl Grey!

Having this one at school right now, as I’m too lazy and too busy to make my own tea, and what the heck, it’s less than two bucks. Also, my digestive system was protesting the sudden re-introduction of grape pop into my regular diet, and I figured I’d be better off stashing the rest of the bottle in the fridge when I get home tonight and drinking some tea instead… So I’m guessing a bit about the steep time and water temperature, and I added a fair bit of honey in anticipation/dread that this wouldn’t be drinkable (much like my experiences with Mighty Leaf here).

Well, it’s drinkable. It’s not bad, actually. The only solid impression I get is that it’s a bit astringent. Other than that…a “black tea” taste, maybe slightly nutty. It steeps up much darker than the Tazo site claims it should, which somehow doesn’t surprise me.

Meh. There’s nothing objectionable about it, and I would drink it again. Perhaps I would even pick up bags of this for a trip or something. It’s not bad at all. It’s just very meh. I think I might even try the other Tazo teas over the semester, since I’m stuck here away from home and all my bags of tea – the only tragic part of being at school again.

Edit: I feel like I should add that after a few sips of this, I got up and ran to grab some Old-Fashioned Glazed from Timmies. I think that pretty much sums this one up…not good enough to get much enjoyment out of it on its own, but certainly good enough to warrant donuts on the side.

One of my new favorite black teas! :D

This is a very smooth/light black tea with a noticeable floral flavor. It calls for a longer brew time and hot hot water, but it is worth the effort for the full flavor of this tea. Very tasty and aromatic.

Lovely, wonderful boyfriend dropped by my office this morning with a cup of this and also a bag of a new tea that he’d picked up over the weekend for me. Lovely man.
This is not a great Jarjeeling, I must say. It does what it says on the tin, but thats about it. It was, however, doctored heavily by by boyfriend, who poured a lot of honey in it, so there was a sweetness at the bottom of the cup.
I like that guy. He knows me very well.

First time having a darjeeling tea. Very earthy, bitter flavor. Definitely not for people who prefer fruitier flavors. Although sweetened with sugar, the taste is too strong to be made sweet. May not be the tea for me, but great for those who are fans of black teas.

Pretty good bagged darjeeling. I don’t buy this blend often – for Darjeeling I’ve looked in the Indian tea section.