790 Tasting Notes
Smells malty and slightly fruity. Not sure there I’d say there are any citral tones. Maybe this is another that my palate isn’t discerning enough to fully pick out the flavors in the description. I also don’t see any “white hues” in the leaves.
Definitely a full bodied taste, though I did steep for about 4 minutes as it seemed kind of light at 3 minutes.
Good, but not one that I’ll go out of my way to keep around.
Preparation
First holiday dinner down, one to go. Such a full tummy. This is a good tea to wrap up the day with.
Lighter than standard blacks, this has a dryness that builds after a few cups. A nice, refreshingly clean taste. A good, uncomplicated way to round out the evening and prepare for the cooking marathon tomorrow. :)
Preparation
I was just doing some research to find some good Nilgiri teas, since I’ve never had any, and I think I’d like them. I might start with this one…haven’t found too many on here that have been reviewed much yet.
I like Nilgiris. This is not a bad one to try. Pretty much all of Harney’s teas are good representatives of the types. Even if they aren’t my personal thing, their teas always seem to be good quality at reasonable price points. If I had some Nilgiri on hand I’d offer to send you some. :)
Havukal is a Nilgiri estate as well. If you want samples, you might try Upton Teas. They have several Nilgiris and they do inexpensive samples. Except for the Havukal. :)
Awesome, thanks so much! I like the Ceylon and India Tea from Harney & Sons, and I have a bunch of other black teas from them on my wish list…seems like they make some quality stuff for what you pay. I’ll take a look into Upton Teas also! I read about Nilgiri teas earlier today and thought “wow, I need to give them a try!” Thanks for the recommendations! :)
Feel free to look through my cupboard; I am a big black tea fan. I’d be happy to share samples with you, just PM me what you’d like to try. No reciprocal swap needed – I am swimming in tea. :) If you like Ceylons I should send you some Amba from Single Origin.
Awesome, thanks so much, I’ll take a look! You definitely have a more extensive collection that I have, but please let me know if I have anything I can offer in return! I haven’t added everything yet, but I’m getting there. I have a Chinese lychee black tea that is pretty good…not sure how you feel about flavored black teas. I do like Ceylons…so smooth!
Hm. Can’t find a website for The Crumpet Shop in Pike Place Market, Seattle. Can’t find this tea by this name anywhere else in a quick search. The best I can find is that Tiger Hill is the highest spot in the Darjeeling district as well as one of the better tea estates in the region. I see it listed as a Nilgiri in a couple of places.
Maybe this was an old batch that wasn’t stored well. I get nothing out of this besides dusty tea. This cup I am reviewing is my 5th attempt at getting a good cup. I’ve tried different temperature water, rinsing the leaves before steeping, different steep times… This one is drinkable but nothing special. It still tastes somewhat dusty and old. I think I can discern some faint muscatel notes underneath… It’s always possible that my tastebuds just have no idea what they have here, too. Maybe this is a very high quality Darjeeling (though it was a medium price) and I just don’t know it. Maybe other, more discerning palates will find this more appealing than I do.
It’s definitely better cold than it is hot, even though when cold some bitterness comes out. I’ll keep it for a cold tea, but chances are good it may be rehomed to try and find a better taster for it than I am. :)
Preparation
This was a newly arrived tea at Granville Island Tea Co. when I visited them. It was a tad pricey for my pocketbook but the vendor was nice enough to throw in a sample with my other purchases!
Unfortunately, this just confirms further that I have a taste for the expensive darjeelings.
This was amazing. So smooth. So mellow. Not a bit of bitter. Characteristically a tad dry and heavy muscatel notes in the background. I will share this with another darjeeling fiend I know and then I will be very sad when it is gone. This is by far the best 2nd flush I have tasted yet. I feel very lucky to have had 2 exceptional darjeelings close together.
Preparation
This is the only Lady Londonderry I’ve tried so I can’t compare to others, but this is pretty good.
Definitely taste the lemon and strawberry. The lemon seems to intensify when this cools. It is a tart tea even when hot, though. Not sure I’ll try to keep this in the cupboard but it’s tasty.
Preparation
I, like the other reviewers here, have forgotten what teas the vendor told me were in this blend. I remember Assam and strawberry and at least 2 other blacks.
The leaves are very small, some may be CTC but there are others that are a bit larger. It infuses quickly. Most definitely smells and tastes of fresh strawberry – enough so that I picked out strawberry from the smell before I remembered the vendor telling me it was in there. A hint of astringency in the last of the swallow makes me wonder if maybe a darjeeling is in the blend. The liquor is a deep mahogany color. I’m going to hazard a guess that it could border on the bitter if let go too long.
This is tasty.
Added a picture here that my husband took after my purchases at Granville Island Tea. :)
http://s1165.beta.photobucket.com/user/dagony/media/Q02A3541.jpg.html
Preparation
Again, thanks to the generosity of Liberteas I get to try another wonderful tea! This is a light oolong that reminds me a lot of a darjeeling, though not astringent at all. Very smooth and lightly woodsy.
