India Darjeeling 2nd Flush Rohini Golden Buds Black Tea

I worked my way through a 25g pouch within a few weeks, which, to me, attests to a tea’s daily drinkability.

Leafhopper has great descriptions for the flavors present in the 2019 harvest, so this note is pretty much an echo. I found the flavor notes to also be present in the aroma with no additions. Orange blossom dominates the high note which hits instantly, followed by a rich, well balanced mix of honey, orange zest, autumn leaf, muscatel, a sappy quality and faint butter and almond. Some earthiness and a hint of chocolate provide a delicate grounding for those substantial, rounded mid-notes. Nothing about this tea runs away from me. I really appreciate that the honey doesn’t dominate, especially in sweetness.

The leaf does well brewed at a range of times with water off-boiling. A longer initial infusion can produce some astringency but not so much that I feel it detracts from a good morning sip.

Thanks for sourcing another satisfying Rohini tea, What-Cha.

This is the 2019 harvest, and it’s very, very good—so good that it’ll probably be gone by the end of the month if I don’t hoard it. I steeped 2.5 teaspoons of leaf in a 355 ml mug at 203F for 5 minutes, plus another long infusion because I didn’t want this session to end. I usually steep Darjeelings for 3.5, 5, and 10 minutes, but wanted to see if a longer first steep would bring out more flavour for the review.

The dry leaf aroma is of muscatel, honey, and orange blossoms. After steeping, the muscatel wafts gloriously out of my cup. Steeping for 5 minutes was a fantastic idea, except not really, because now I’ll want to drink all my Darjeelings this way. The tea has notes of muscatel, honey, autumn leaf pile, orange blossom, roses, tannins, tree sap, earth, and a bit of chocolate. There’s a whisper of astringency that doesn’t occur if the tea is brewed less heavily. The second steep is a little more astringent, but still has nice honey, muscatel, and sappy notes.

Whether it’s steeped strong or comparatively weak, this is a great second flush Darjeeling with lots of nuanced flavours. It has exactly the soft, muscatel, floral profile I like in this tea type and I regret not buying more.

I finished a sample pouch of this tea last night. Unfortunately, I am working entirely from memory since I did not bother jotting down notes. I recall perceiving this to be a very comforting, smooth second flush Darjeeling.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped 3-4 grams of loose tea leaves in approximately 8 ounces of 203 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves emitted delicate floral, fruity aromas. After infusion, I caught a pronounced scent of Muscatel accompanied by almond, herbs, malt, toast, and fresh flowers. There was also a subtle scent of chocolate. In the mouth, I immediately detected a robust Muscatel note chased by subtler, well-integrated notes of malt, toast, almond, herbs, candied orange peel, chocolate, cream, honey, golden raisin, butter, and a melange of dandelion, violet, and rose. The finish was fruity and floral. Muscatel, violet, and rose were the dominant impressions, though hints of almond, chocolate, honey, and toast lingered in the mouth.

This was a nice second flush Darjeeling. I especially appreciated its smoothness in the mouth and its sophisticated layering of aromas and flavors. Definitely check this one out if you are looking for a flavorful Darjeeling that is easy to drink.

DAMN this tea is yummy. Anytime I have a Darjeeling with muscatel wine AND chocolaty notes I am happy. Here’s how he describes it: “A wonderful Darjeeling with a smooth honey sweet caramel taste which shifts towards a sweet chocolate maltiness with subsequent and longer steeps.” Emphasis on the honey-it was sweet enough to remind me of mead. I would not be surprised if you sweet tooths would serve this tea with honey or honey crystals. I got three good cups out of it western, and you might be able to Gong Fu this, but it was too light for me personally. I wanted the elusive chocolate notes that make me so happy. In short, this is an excellent example of a Darjeeling.