Biodynamic Darjeeling

The Persimmon Tree recommends brewing this at 185 so I’m glad that I did a quick check on their website before brewing this. Otherwise it would have been an over brewed cup of tea!

What I have instead is a very pleasant cup of black tea that has a strength to it, without being bitter or astringent. There’s a hint of sweetness in the aroma that isn’t present in the cup, which I’m ok with as I love my blacks to be bold! This is the kind of black tea that you could have both morning and afternoon that doesn’t need sugar or milk to satisfy. I can see wanting to reorder this when I manage to get my cupboard down to a more manageable size!

Got a nice generous sample of this in a previous order and am just now getting around to trying it out.
Its a very nice darjeeling with somehow this light hint of vanilla flavor that I really enjoy!

I was not expecting much from this. It didn’t look like a Darjeeling; it didn’t smell like a Darjeeling. Heck, it didn’t even taste like a Darjeeling. But – oh my – what a taste it was! Fruit candy on the front, and a malt-’n-floral trail-off. It reminded me quite a bit of teas put out by the Oothu estate (also a biodynamic op). In a word, “Perfect.”

Full Review: Pending on www.teaviews.com

I forgot I had this one! It’s pretty great when you find a new tea in your stash. Anyways, this is an interesting tea. When I first poured it I thought it had a beautiful color! Kind of a pinkish then turns into a light brown. The flavor is very crisp. It’s very sweet, too. There is an undertone that reminds me of chamomile. It’s very subtle but it’s delicious! I’m getting a little bit of a bitter, dry aftertaste but it kind of adds to the flavor.

This one’s a pretty and slightly unusual color in the cup, a dark copper tone with more red with its brown than most unflavored black teas. Dry and brewing it smells like a much lighter/fainter sister to darjeeling or blacks from Nepal. It does have that astringency and mellow but ever present tannin one associates with those teas, done lightly. There’s also an element of warmth, warm spices somehow that darjeelings often lack, and it’s rather pleasant combined with the more typical darjeeling-ish light and floral qualities. It’s also somewhat sweet as these types of teas go, a kind of honeyed sweetness that is not unwelcome at all. I like! It seems I enjoy when darjeeling qualities are mixed with brawnier, warmer, richer, or smokier elements (exhibit A: my fondness for Upton Imports Baker Street Afternoon Blend).

Bummed I had to use the stovetop kettle for this as when I went to use my Russell Hobbes electric one today there was a rattling noise coming from the sealed base and then a screw flew out of the inside. The thing has a warranty—I contacted them this afternoon—so we’ll see. It was super cheap as these things go anyway—less than $40—but I really did like it, especially because it would keep a BREWED pot of tea warm, not just heated water (that way you don’t have to keep steeping every cup you pour to keep your tea warm long enough). And it was so fast! Going to miss it while I figure out what’s what. This weekend has been a little annoying—other disappointments with long-anticipated orders I won’t get into right now plus some drama in my social circle and stress about my husband’s job security—but oh well. There’s always tea, right?

smells mildly floral/fruity … reminded me of earl grey smell.

liquor is light colored also thin, mild… floral reminds me of a very mild earl grey for some reason, not a fan of the taste but being mild its drinkable. if you like that earl grey florallyness go for it

First, my apologies to K S, who graciously shared a bit ages ago, and I have been remiss in expressing my thanks…because this is tasty! It also holds up well to mistreatment (the baggie got wedged behind a couple of tins and I didn’t know it was there).

I don’t do Darjeeling often, so when I do, I’m pleasantly surprised. This particular variety is one of the “grapiest” Darjeelings I’ve tried; after half a cup, my mouth feels like I’ve had fruit juice. It has a …mmm, not delicate, maybe elegant or refined personality and would, no doubt, taste better from Grandma’s teacups than my battered Tervis tumbler that has suddenly started to behave like a dribble glass.

I’m not usually a drinker of Darjeeling, but I’ve had this sample laying around for months now and thought it was finally time to test it out. I forgot to set my kettle to a low temp so I boiled my water and let it cool down to about 200º which is a bit higher than the recommended 185º.

Thankfully, it wasn’t at all bitter. I have to admit I wasn’t expecting it to be so smooth. It’s a bit fruity as I anticipated, surprisingly it’s also a bit malty. It tastes like a very light Assam. Really, it’s quite nice and completely different than I expect Darjeelings to be. I’ll have to get around to testing out some more as I quite enjoy this one.

Last sample from the Persimmon Tree Tea!
So, I’ve never had a darjeeling tea before, and I don’t hear much about them. But this one perked my interest
The steeping aroma is very fruity, kinda smells like grapes to me actually, which is weird. Not sure it’s supposed to smell like that! But that’s how it smells to me.
The taste is odd for me. But perhaps this is what normal darjeelings are like.
It’s fruity and earthy. Mostly earthy with hints of fruit.
I’m not at all used to a tea like this. But it’s not bad. As I continued to drink, the earthiness got stronger, which I didn’t like so much.
But overall it’s not a bad cup. Just different to what I’ve tried before.
This makes me curious to try more darjeelings though!
Thanks so much to The Persimmon Tree Tea again for sending me samples! Has been great to try more of their teas! ^^

Cold brewed this one again. I think I may have left it in the fridge for longer this time because it’s just a tad bolder and now there is a smoky element to it as well. On its own, it’s a little overwhelming for me, but I am drinking it while eating a salty snack. I think that the saltiness from the snack somehow brings out this sweeter flavor from the tea that I did not notice as much before. In any case, the combo is deelicious. I’m getting close to a sipdown on this one, so I’m going to try to save the rest for a hot cuppa, but I really am tempted to cold brew it again after this successful experiment.