Nepal Kuwapani Makalu Tippy Black Tea

I was intrigued to see this very old tea in my package from Derk. Thanks for the sample, which may sadly reflect some of the older teas in my own collection. I followed the instructions on Steepster and brewed 2 teaspoons in a 355 ml mug at 185F for 2, 4, 6, and 8 minutes.

Dry, the tea smells like orange blossom and old-lady perfume, with a strong tinge of alcohol. The first steep has some nice flavours of orange, orange blossom, flowers, malt, wood, and spice, though these are unfortunately overwhelmed by perfume and decaying lawn clippings. This tea is like Constant Comment if it became a zombie. I went through three more cups of this tea, which grew maltier and more tannic but never lost that perfumey quality.

I won’t rate this tea due to its age, as I’m sure it would have been much more enjoyable fresh. As is, it’s a warning to drink my Indian and Nepali teas before they taste like something that should have been laid to rest long ago.

An oldie in a bag with hand-written instructions that I followed: 2 tsp, 185F, 2min. This tea served as a single calibration point for how Nepali teas age. The lone review of this tea is from 4 years ago.

The “zesty taste of orange blossoms” is definitely still there along with a sad perfumey taste. The tea body is light and has a fun, tannic astringency. The base tastes seem to have evaporated. I’m left with hints of wood and malt weaving through the wateriness. Love me some Nepali teas and I’m sure I would have bought this fresh.

Smooth with kick! Round mouthfeel, a soft texture and wonderful fullness to the body. Woody orange spice flavor.

I’ve been using 2 tsp of leaf, 5-6 oz of 185°F water, for several 1 min steeps. As I commonly do with black teas, I shorten my steep time (from the 2 min spec’d). This tea has range – If you prefer a stronger cup this tea can certainly give you that punch in the face; or if you prefer gentler, a shortened steep yields a more relaxed yet still full flavored cup.

In addition to What-Cha, I appreciate my /r/tea pal lawraa for the opportunity to try this tea. She originally received it as a mystery tea, and enjoyed it so much that she asked Alistair to offer it for sale!