Nepal Jun Chiyabari 'Himalayan Spring' Black Tea

Damn, getting back on here is difficult. It’s been awhile, huh? I have no clue how to start this thing. Anyway, in case anyone who used to pay attention to the reviews I posted here on Steepster hadn’t noticed, I have been away and generally unreachable for a few months now. Some things happened. Let’s just leave it at that. Prior to today, I had no intention of ever making any further contributions to this platform as a reviewer, but before I call it a day for good, I want to take one more crack at this and just see what happens. I’m starting this new test run off with a tea I drank last year and never reviewed here.

I prepared this tea in what I imagine to be fairly typical Western fashion. I rinsed and then steeped 3 grams of loose leaf material in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water. I did not attempt any further infusions.

Prior to rinsing, the dry tea leaves presented aromas of hay, straw, grass, almond, and chili leaf. After rinsing, I noted new aromas of dandelion, violet, and lemon zest accompanied by subtler scents of fresh spinach and wintergreen. The 5 minute infusion brought out aromas of cream, muscatel, peanut, and baked bread. In the mouth, the tea liquor expressed smooth, satisfying notes of cream, almond, malt, violet, dandelion, grass, hay, straw, dandelion greens, lemon zest, chili leaf, green wood, orange zest, baked bread, peanut, and muscatel that were underscored by subtle touches of fresh spinach, wintergreen, butter, grapefruit, and green apple. The finish was nutty and smooth, displaying a pleasant balance of almond, peanut, cream, malt, lemon zest, and orange zest notes and mild-to-moderate astringency.

This was basically a typical higher end first flush Nepalese black tea, but it was a very likable and drinkable one. The tea liquor was very aromatic and displayed excellent depth and complexity in the mouth. There was nothing out of place or unpleasant about it. The way Jun Chiyabari just cranks out great tea after great tea never ceases to amaze me. This was yet another winner in their portfolio.

Thanks, Derk (or maybe White Antlers via Derk), for such a generous sample of this tea! I remember considering it in my last What-Cha order, but went with a more affordable spring pick from Guranse instead. I steeped 4 g of leaf in a 355 ml mug at 190 for 5 and 8 minutes.

The dry aroma is of heady flowers, herbs, muscatel, and orange blossom. Right away, I realize that steeping it at 190F hasn’t entirely curbed its astringency. I get notes of herbs, muscatel, oats, plants, rose, wildflowers, lemon, orange blossom, chilli, and wood. Needless to say, there’s a lot going on and I’m having to guess at some of these flavours. (I never know whether to include only what I’m absolutely sure I taste or what I think the tea reminds me of.) The chilli, woody, and floral notes come out in the aftertaste. The second steep is more floral, with rose, peony, orange blossom, and wildflowers, and the green, herbaceous first flush characteristics are more prominent. There are also tannins and minerals.

This is a complex black tea that is worth revisiting. It certainly lives up to its floral moniker. It also shares that chilli note with What-Cha’s Guranse Spring Hand-Rolled Floral black tea, which is something I haven’t found in other Nepalese offerings.

Hello everyone. I’ve been on a bit of a computer cleanse, so now that we are quarantined on a global level, I am returning. I also owe Alistair some reviews. (THANK YOU FOR THE WHITE RHINO! THAT ONE IS A FAVORITE!)

Anyway, this is from an older order that I mostly got Nepal floral blacks and white teas. I was really curious about this one because it looked more like a white tea than a usual black, and I had a feeling it would be fruity. Trying it out for my own, the dry leaf smells like dried leaves that you rake in the spring, lemons, cotton, and oaty grains. Brewing it up, the aroma is very floral and a touch fruity, retaining the oatiness I was talking about earlier.

Drinking it up, I used western timing while savoring it in a small porcelain cup at a time. At near 180’s F after I just brewed it, the flavor was dominated by heat, cotton, and then a little lemon wisp snuck by to say hello. The heat was hiding the flavor a little bit, so I let it cool off. The cooler temperature gave way to the same dry oat note I was thinking, being almost bready in its astringency. Then, it reminded me I was drinking the juice of dried leaves and transitioned into the white grape I expected from Alistairs description. I also got persimmon, but that’s just me.

In terms of the florals, it has the viscosity of rose water, but the flavor profile of osmanthus and the lightness of a white peony. That could be from my limited scope of florals, and the tea’s very light yellow brew, but that’s what at least makes sense to me.

The tea can get astringent, so I used a very light 3 grams. I got 3 more rebrews, and let the last steep way to long. Fortunately, it was not too astringent and had a pleasant lemon flavor after a the bready kick of astringency.

Out of the order I got, this tea was the easiest for me to balance out. I also liked this one one the most because of how unique it is. This tea is definitely snob, or more advanced territory because it is a lot more like a first flush Darjeeling or a white tea, so the elements like the dryness and weird astringency can be off putting to some, BUT, this is a lighter, refined tea overall. I tend to like lighter and naturally fruity/floral teas without additives, so I love it.

I definitely recommend it to white tea drinkers and the curious.

I had to drink this one again straight away after because it is a bit of an interesting tea. Thinner bodied than the offerings from Greenland (quite watery from my first brew) but with a lurvly aroma, but very hidden away. I think I did 3g for 2:45 12oz water or something. But that aroma & huigan really piqued my interest.

So after the first brew I dashed the leaf & immediately overloaded the infuser & gave it a mini-competition brew, pushing it to see what it was that caught my attention.. so maybe 5g 3:00+..

The aroma is lovely! I didnt think Muscatel in the classic sense, but something more akin to a grapeflower, if that would ever be possible. its heady & yummy.. The taste was more astringent & almost bitter compared to the other Nepali teas, im guessing partly down to this wonderful floral aroma, which is pretty kick-ass if you ask me. Tastes very natural.

There is more of a kaleidoscope effect with the sensations, rather than everything being mushed together. I love that.

Wonderful grapeflower (well my madeup interpretation of a grape-flower mix) Huigan.. More complexity & liveliness in the mouth due to this. Thinner bodied but fruitier on the tastebuds. Slightly sour(?) lip numbing, its very plant-like in a good way. There is a sweetness but its overtaken by the other sourer characteristics.

This one needs a bit of attention in the brew, it can be a bit fussy, one for Darjeeling lovers. It might benefit from a little sweetener (or at least not pushed so hard), i’m unsure on this as ive just drank my whole sample & am now very tea’d up indian style.

That aroma & huigan though. YUM