Ah Darjeelings – my favorite teas!
The aroma from the loose leaf tea was overwhelmingly grassy, which surprised me a bit as I usually associate grassiness with green tea. There’s also a bit of earthiness to the aroma of the tea as well, but it is very subtle.
After brewing for 3 minutes, I took a look at the tea and it looked lighter than I usually like my Darjeeling, so I brewed for an additional 2 minutes (to the suggested upper limit of 5 minutes). Once steeped, the tea took on a lovely amber quality, while the aroma was still slightly grassy, but had taken on a soft floral nose as well.
Upon tasting the grassiness was definitely much more muted than I expected it to be based on the aroma and there was also a slight earthiness, along with mellow floral notes. There is a slightly astringent finish to the tea, but I feel that only adds to the tea. Overall, I feel that this would be a great introductory Darjeeling because it’s quite a mellow, drinkable tea – no overwhelming florals here. I’ll definitely finish off this tin, but I’m not sure if I’ll purchase again because it’s not really the profile that I look for in a Darjeeling – I like them a tad more floral and earthy, with a touch less grassiness.
