Himalayan Donkey - Himalayan Oriental Beauty

#adventageddon Day Sixteen – 6/6

Gongfu!

I’ve been waiting to try this tea since first receiving this advent – I accidently saw it while I was setting up the advent (it’s one of those cute ones that’s hung on a string with clothes pins) and then immediately forgot which day it was, but damn if I didn’t get hooked on the idea of a Nepalese Oriental Beauty! I definitely don’t think I’ve tried one before…

This was fascinating – and delicious! I have to say that the most striking element of this tea for me was a thick, sweet and jammy strawberry/raspberry note that was particularly present in the early two or three infusions. Like a particularly dense and freshly made fruit preserve! Aside from that there was a light astringency and bitterness, notes of orange blossom and thick creamed honey, and a little toasty bread note. So, basically, it’s like having a delicious slice of fresh bread topped with jams and honeys galore!

Also interesting is that I really didn’t taste much of the notes that teabento describes the tea having – but I loved it all the same!

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyY7Yvx2PYA

Teabento generously provided this sample for review. I love bug-bitten teas and am excited to try some non-Taiwanese versions for comparison. I used slightly more than a teaspoon of leaf in my 120 ml teapot and followed Teabento’s steeping directions of 2, 1, and 3 minutes at around 195F.

The leaf is somewhat broken and many have silvery hairs. Upon opening the bag, citrus is the first thing that hits me, followed by muscatel and malt. The aromas intensify in the preheated teapot.

The first two-minute steep smells like a second flush Darjeeling. I get muscatel, lemon, and malty honey, with a tiny bit of astringency. This tea is also delightfully sweet.

The maltiness falls away in the second steep, leaving sweet muscatel and citrus. The tea is somewhat drying and while it’s tasty, it’s not too complex. The third steep continues along these lines, though the pronounced citrus flavour is also starting to fade and the astringency is picking up. I also get a bit of a raisin aroma from the cooled liquid.

I attempted a five-minute fourth steep, but they were right to recommend only three.

Compared to Taiwanese bai hao, Himalayan Donkey is a much less complex animal. What there is of it is great, but like many Indian teas, it lacks staying power. It would be interesting to cold brew this to make the most of its sweetness while minimizing astringency.