Lakyrsiew Exotic Summer Black Tea (2017)

Brewed at 185˚F for 4:00, and it’s actually less bitter than when I brewed it on the lower end of the range, at 176˚F! Lovely for the afternoon since it’s low-caffeine and it complemented my oyakodon lunch very well, I’m glad I tried .

It doesn’t have much flavour on its own, I get a bit of smoky nutty sweetness, but pairs well with savoury food.

Increasing rating to 75.

I finally got my order from Teabox around a week or so ago. Ordering from them ended up being such a huge fiasco. My address kept getting messed up and I was not sure if I was ever going to get my order. Well, after it arrived safe and sound, I decided to just go ahead and jump into the teas. I needed to know if the hassle was worth it. This was the first tea I tried, and I have to say that I was impressed. I have long liked the teas coming out of some of India’s lesser known tea production regions and this one was no exception.

This particular tea is a so-called cloud tea hailing from the state of Meghalaya in North-East India. Cloud teas are generally renowned for their soft, fruity aromas and flavors. I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped around 3 grams of loose leaf material in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted gentle aromas of malt, sandalwood, and fruit. After infusion, I immediately picked up a unique blend of tangerine, melon, and jackfruit aromas balanced by traces of roasted nuts, sandalwood, malt, and fresh flowers. In the mouth, strong notes of Canary melon, jackfruit, tangerine, pear, and white grape were immediately apparent, though undertones of lemon zest, papaya, and mango did not take long to appear. I also noted a nice, mellow blend of roasted almond, honey roasted peanut, malt, toast, sandalwood, herb, straw, and floral notes. Teabox compared this tea’s floral flavor to that of orchids, but I thought it was more reminiscent of a combination of marigold, chrysanthemum, and dandelion. I also noted subtle nutmeg and smoke notes lurking around the fringes. The finish brought out new flavors of butter and caramel to balance lingering touches of roasted nuts, toast, and malt.

A truly unique, fascinating tea with a pleasant flow from fruity to woody/nutty/herbal/grainy and then on to floral before finishing with a nice blend of savory and woody, nutty, grainy elements, it made the hassle of an extended wait for my order worth it. This was my first Meghalaya tea, but it will not be my last. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a unique, flavorful black tea suitable for pretty much any time of day.