Darjeeling Premium First Flush Black Tea

Grabbed this from a TTB, but it’s not really the tea for me. I prefer a malty black tea, and this one is a little delicate and floral for me. I added some raspberry extract and milk to give it some more personality.

Adventaggedon Day 13 – Tea 1/6

This is actually the last of the advent teas that I made today – it was like a little special treat after getting through the flavoured teas for the day. I’ve been getting what some might call an ‘unreasonable’ level of excited for the straight teas that have been in the advents.

While this does seem to have some scent contamination from the many very intensely spiced teas in the advent calendar, it’s a pretty nice Darjeeling overall. Not the best I’ve had of the year, but as someone who isn’t a huge Darjeeling drinker anyway I’m not about to get picky/snobby.

Pretty floral with an astringency at the top of the sip but a sweeter and rounder finish. I picked up notes of fresh, heady peony and mildly spicy lilacs with malt, and mineral notes swirled in with the mid sip. An easy drinking Darjeeling, and seemed pretty forgiving to my longer and more reckless steep time.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/ros_strange/

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 13

Yay, a straight tea! I don’t have a lot of experience with Darjeeling teas, so this’ll be an interesting one. I steeped it at a much lower temperature than I normally would for a black tea. I don’t know if that’s necessary or not, but for a first flush I figured I would err on the cautious side.

It has a light amber color. The flavor reminds me of somewhere between black, green, and white teas. It has a lovely soft bready flavor with chewy oats and grains, and a touch of hay. There’s also a creamy nuttiness that reminds me of cashews. Some vegetal notes appear near the end of the sip, and there’s a crisp, somewhat grassy finish. Perhaps a soft musky floral note as well? And the pleasant lingering taste of autumn leaves…

There’s definitely a lot going on, but it’s still very smooth and easy to drink. I get a tiny hint of menthol and spice at the end of the sip, but I’m wondering if that’s more of a scent/flavor contamination issue from all of the neighboring masala chai and turmeric blends.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIwKiV8gKVk/

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIvvvDxAx9V/)

The description from Vahdam Teas is on the mark. This tea is pretty complex, and I wouldn’t brew it for any longer than 3 minutes to avoid becoming overly astringent. Maybe a little too far on the grassy side for my taste, but the distinct properties of black tea are still there.