Vahdam Teas

Here’s Hoping Teabox – Round Seven- Tea #23
This is very tasty! One of those perfect Darjeelings. A very light sweet flavor that can only be the best of Darjeelings. So delicious. The Okayti are usually some of the best Darjeelings. This is the sort of tea you love to find in the teabox!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug// 13 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

This was a tea I had been looking forward to for some time. I received it as a free sample from Vahdam Teas back in the spring. At the time, I was glad they sent me a sample of this tea because I enjoy Darjeeling white teas and had been curious about the teas produced by the Avongrove Estate, but had yet to get around to trying any. Naturally, reviewing other teas took precedence and this ended up sitting sealed in one of my tea totes until last week when I finally got around to drinking it. Though I do not think the way I brewed it did it justice (compared to my usual gongfu method, a simple Western preparation was just as, if not slightly more effective), this was a wonderful white tea.

Obviously, for the purpose of writing a thorough review, I prepared this tea gongfu style. I know that I steeped 6 grams of loose leaf material in 4 ounces of water after a flash rinse, but I do not recall what the water temperature was. For some reason, I simply did not write it down. I think it may have been either 180 F or 185 F. The first infusion lasted 5 seconds. It was chased by 13 subsequent infusions. Steep times for those infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of lavender, sage, wood, and malt. After the rinse, I detected aromas of lemon zest, hay, lemongrass, and basil. The first infusion produced a pretty much identical set of aromas. In the mouth, I found delicate notes of lemon zest, basil, lavender, sage, lemongrass, hay, and malt underscored by faint impressions of Muscatel, wood, tangerine, and white peach. Subsequent infusions brought out more citrus on the nose and in the mouth while the floral aromas and flavors fully emerged. A unique mix of geranium, violet, chamomile, dandelion, and marigold was highlighted by many of these infusions. The notes of tangerine and lemon zest were also joined by a subtle orange zest impression. New notes of cream, butter, almond, and minerals appeared as well. The tea washed out quickly. I was steeping mostly for color and texture by about the 50 second mark. The last infusions were dominated by minerals, though I could pick up belatedly emerging notes of cucumber to compliment the lingering traces of cream, grass, and herbs.

While I do not feel like I got this one right in terms of preparation, I do have to reiterate that this was a fabulous white tea. The mix of aromas and flavors it displayed was so unique that I am not certain I can compare it to any other white tea I have tried within the past year or so. Should you have the opportunity to try it, definitely take it.

Continuing to work my way through the many samples I have accumulated since last year, I came to this Darjeeling oolong. Prior to this, I had only tried one Indian oolong, but it was from the state of Bihar rather than West Bengal. With that in mind, I opted to go ahead and try this tea. It was a blend of oolong leaf material from a number of different Darjeeling tea estates and was advertised as possessing grapefruit and floral flavors. I found it to be a citrusy, floral, and astringent tea blend possessing more in common with a second flush Darjeeling black tea than any sort of traditional oolong.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a very quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose leaf material in 4 ounces of 190 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 13 subsequent infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry leaf material emitted aromas of flowers, citrus, malt, and Muscatel. After the rinse, I began to detect impressions of roasted almond and brown toast. The first infusion produced a near identical bouquet. In the mouth, I immediately detected a surge of citrus flavors. Vahdam described it as being grapefruit-like, but I found it to more resemble a mixture of lemon zest, lime zest, and bitter orange. The rush of citrus was chased by gentle malt and Muscatel, as well as a blend of flowers. I found rose to be the dominant note on the back end, but there were also traces of dandelion, daisy, and marigold. Subsequent infusions brought out notes of straw, bruised mango, pear, brown sugar, herbs, kumquats, and minerals. A note of roasted almond also began to appear in the mouth. The later infusions were dominated by minerals, tart citrus, roasted almond, malt, and distant floral impressions. As noted above, the tea liquor was astringent, brisk, and biting throughout the session making this tea blend seem more like an unorthodox second flush black tea than any sort of true oolong.

In the end, I guess I have to be the outlier and state that I did not find this blend to be bad, but it also did not do a ton for me. For one thing, the citrus and floral aromas and flavors almost completely drowned out everything else. I had to work so hard to find other aromas and flavors that drinking this was a somewhat tedious experience. Oh, and did I mention that this blend was astringent? Yeah, I did. I actually mentioned that a couple times in the paragraphs above. Again, this was not bad, but to me, it did seem unbalanced with too much emphasis on citrus on the entry and flowers on the finish. It did not seem like there was enough between those two extremes. In the end, I could see this blend going over well with those who like really explosive, powerful flavors, but unfortunately, I am not one of those people.

For the 2017 harvest: Smooth, luxurious, pleasantly complex (not the sometimes harsh one-note flavor profile of many Assams), very distinctive honey note.

This tea was an all-around pleasure to drink.

The dried leaves were whole, mostly golden tips, and rolled well.

I steeped 4 grams of tea in 12 ounces of near-boiling water for 4 minutes.

The color of the liquor was like a wheat pilsner—very light, pale yellow.

The aroma was floral, but undefined further than that. The floral aroma translated also into the flavor, along with hay and a slight muscatel flavor.

Overall, it is an excellent 1st flush Darjeeling—one that I’d like to keep in stock on my shelves for days when I am in the mood for a 1st flush. Given the nature of the tea, though, I don’t think it would have a long shelf life. Plus, the price is a bit high for me to make this a regular brew.

NOTE: My tea had a date of picking of 08 April 2017

Another sample from the black tea sampler from Vahdam.

I admit that I used too many grams of dried leaves when steeping this. My sample was only six grams, and I didn’t want to use a regular amount and not have enough left over to use in the future, so I steeped the whole sample: 6 grams in 12 ounces of nearly-boiling water for 3 minutes, 15 seconds.

The color of the liquor was a beautiful copper with red hints. It was nice.

The aroma was a sweet muscatel, which also translated into the flavor, along with the usual wet rock/mineral flavor I find with second flushes. There was also a bit of stone fruit in there—apricot, maybe?

Overall, it was a good tea, but not one that I would order on its own. There are other second flush (summer) Darjeelings that I’d prefer over this one. Maybe my opinion would be different if I used better quantities. :/

date of picking: June, 2016

Another of the samples I received in my package of black tea samples purchased from Vahdam.

The dried tea leaves were very green—much greener than I expected them to be. I was surprised also by the color of the liquor when it was fully brewed—it had a copper-brown color, not the light yellow shown in the picture here and on the Vahdam website.

I steeped 11 grams of dried leaves in 20 ounces of near-boiling water for 4 minutes.

The aroma coming off the finished liquor was muscatel—again, not something that I expected from a first flush. This aroma carried over into the flavor, along with a light flavor of wet rock/mineral. Again—both more like a second flush than a first flush. But, the primary flavor of the tea was very vegetal—cooked spinach, to be more exact. It seemed more like a green tea than a black Darjeeling. It was good, but unexpected.

I don’t think I’d go out of my way for this tea again. The variety of flavors make it hard to pin down, so I can’t say that I’d ever definitely be in the mood for it. I had it before bed since the caffeine content was low, but it would be a good tea for any time of day.

Date of picking: 09 April 2017

Tonight we have up 2016 daily Darjeeling , I added in the year, because for darjeelings this seems to make a big difference because of the weather. In a blend like this its probably slightly less important, but still might make a difference when the 2017’s come out.

I brewed 2.5 grams in 160 ml water, in a glass pot. I used 205 water as I find a slightly less than boiling works well on Darjeeling tea. I got a plum and muscatel aroma, a slight sweetness and a hint of apricots. There is a few other aroma’s that I cant quite identify.

Tasting it , I get more sweetness as well as a tiny hint of astringency right on the end of it. This is a really easy drinking tea for breakfast or later afternoon. It’s about medium on the caffeine scale , so it good for most times. Im drinking this to relax and wind down at the end of the day, and its very smooth..

Highly recommended.

This is a malty and bold tasting Assam tea. There is little if any bitterness or astringency. It is pretty good. Not as good as Vahdam’s Darjeeling First Flush teas but tasty.

I brewed this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 minutes.

This is one that has been on my shelf for about 6-9 months and I had forgotten about it. I first had it as a sample and liked it so much that I ordered a larger quantity. It arrived, and I promptly forgot about it as I wasn’t in the mood for a second flush for a number of weeks. I found it again this week and I am glad I did! It has a smooth mouthfeel with pleasant sweet flavors of Muscat grapes and apricots. It’s a great afternoon tea—light and fruity. Slight nutty flavor as well.

I had a sample of this this evening and loved it! I ordered a full shipment of the tea to brew again and see if I enjoy it as much a second time as I do now, but I really like it so far! I will have a tasting note with more details after I try another steeping (I don’t like doing tasting notes after only one attempt), but I hope my next shipment gives me more clarity. But, so far, it is an excellent second flush Darjeeling that I hope will be my “go-to” tea this summer.

More to come after a new steeping.

Went with a double steeping of this tea today—one for breakfast and one for my afternoon.

The dried leaves are very pretty: Whole, orthodox, rolled leaves with lots of gold tips.

I brewed 10 grams of tea in 20 ounces of near-boiling water for 4 minutes (first steeping) and 4 minutes, 30 seconds (second steeping). The brewed liquor came out to be a lovely red-brown hue.

As this is a black Assam tea, it had the expected malty aroma and flavor—not overpowering but good. There was also a flavor of toasted bread—not unexpected for an Assam. Very little astringency to it. Finally, with both steepings I noticed a very slight spicy flavor to it—very hard to pin down what spice, exactly, but I came to the conclusion that it was similar to nutmeg. I wasn’t expecting this at all, but it was very good!

Overall, this tea was very good. I am sad that this was only a sample so I have none left to try again later, but enjoyed this one immensely today.

A sample from the Black Tea Sampler I purchased from Vahdam Teas. I’ve been drinking a lot of these samples lately, many of which are so similar to each other (single-estate Darjeelings) that I was having a hard time remembering which was which. I decided to go with something that I thought would be different enough from the other samples to be memorable.

Looking at the dried leaves, I found that they were mostly orthodox, whole leaves. There were quite a few gold tips in the sample—more than I expected from a breakfast blend.

I steeped 6 grams of tea in 12 ounces of near-boiling water for 4 minutes.

The liquor came out bronze or dark amber—very similar to the color of brandy. Very pretty.

The liquor didn’t have much of an aroma to it. What aromas it did have, though, were not anything specific—just like a generic black tea would normally have.

Tasting the tea, I found it had the wet rock taste I would expect from a second flush darjeeling—not the muscatel flavor of a second flush, but the wet rock flavor was there. This was confusing to me since, according to the package, this was picked in November. There was a very slight astringency to it, but not much. Other than that, I didn’t find any other outstanding flavors; I saw that other reviewers noted a malty flavor to it but I did not find that.

Overall, it wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t great—it was good. It wasn’t what I expected at all from a breakfast blend—much lighter than how that type of tea blend usually comes. I expect a breakfast blend to hit me on the taste buds with a hammer and a shout and a caffeine rush arriving like a bullet train. This one was far too delicate for that kind of action—it was more of brushing the taste buds and squeaking out, “umm, hello?” And, rather than the bullet train of caffeine it was more like the speed of the Chicago Metra—slow moving, but eventually getting there.

NOTE: The sample I used was marked with a date of picking of November, 2016

A sample of 10 grams included in the Black Tea Sampler I purchased from Vahdam. I decided to go crazy tonight and brew the whole sample at once. Yeah, sometimes I live life on the wild side here.

I steeped the tea using 10 grams in 20 ounces of water. I brewed it for 3 minutes, 30 seconds using nearly boiling water.

Prior to brewing the tea, the dried leaves were all whole, orthodox leaves. They were vibrant colors of gold, silver, green, and dark brown. I didn’t see any stems in my initial glance.

The tea brewed into a liquor the color of honey. Based on the picture from the website (same picture used here on Steepster), I was expecting something much lighter, but this was a nice amber color. The liquor had a floral scent to it—very similar to other first flushes I’ve had.

The first flavor I noticed, though, was a woody flavor, along with wet hay. That sounds worse than it actually was, since this combination was very pleasant. After a few sips and swirls in my mouth, I also picked up a very slight taste of oatmeal in the tea. The floral aroma translated into a floral aftertaste, but it was not a flavor present with the tea itself.

I enjoyed this tea tremendously. I wish I hadn’t used my whole sample tonight, but it was a great tea to have this evening after I finished mowing the lawn and was relaxing for the evening. I will look into buying more of this, but I don’t know how long of a shelf life this would have—it would have to be ordered in small amounts, I think, in order to truly appreciate the flavor.

NOTE: The package I used had a date of picking of 8 April 2017.

This is another nice tea from Vahdam Teas. It is first flush so a lot of green leaves miced in with some black leaves. It has a very light taste. I am not getting notes of Muscatel grapes in this one however but something resembling apricots. It is good in any case.

I steeped this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 minutes.

Here’s another sample sipdown for y’all. This was the last of the first flush Darjeeling samples Vahdam Teas sent me last month. I still have an oolong and two white tea samples to finish, one of which is the Avongrove Emperor, a tea I’ve been wanting to try for over a year. Since I’ve been impressed with the other teas I have received from Vahdam, I will likely get to those in the near future. This Darjeeling was yet another hit.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped 3 grams of loose tea leaves in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves produced subtly nutty, grassy aromas. After infusion, I noted scents of roasted almond, malt, Muscatel, grass, and straw. In the mouth, the liquor displayed a slight astringency along with notes of wood, grass, straw, lemon rind, Muscatel, malt, toast, beechnut, roasted almond, pungent herbs, and chestnut. There were hints of orange and mango lurking in the background too. The finish was somewhat dry, featuring lingering impressions of nuts, malt, grass, straw, and Muscatel.

Vahdam Teas impressed me once again with this Darjeeling. Of their offerings I have sampled in the past month, this one possessed the aroma and flavor profiles I most often associate with first flush Darjeelings. It, however, was not my favorite. I came to appreciate some of the milder, fruitier, sweeter first flush teas more during this time, but I still would not hesitate to recommend this tea to anyone looking for a quality first flush Darjeeling.

I took a break from green tea today to finish up another Darjeeling sample. If I’m really lucky, I’ll get the opportunity to finish the last of an oolong sample I’ve been working on too. To this point, I’ve greatly enjoyed most of the Vahdam samples I’ve received. This one was yet another hit.

I prepared this tea Western style. I steeped 3 grams of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves gave off mild floral, grassy aromas. After infusion, the delicate golden tea liquor emitted aromas of roasted peanuts, Muscatel, grass, straw, green beans, and fresh flowers. In the mouth, the tea opened with a pronounced roasted peanut note before flavors of malt, cream, Muscatel, green beans, grass, straw, wood, and flowers appeared. Vahdam’s tasting note compared the floral presence in this tea to Amaryllis blossoms, but for the most part, it struck me more like an extremely delicate combination of chrysanthemum, dandelion, and rose. The finish was smooth, offering lingering impressions of cream, malt, wood, straw, Muscatel, roasted peanuts, and green beans underscored by traces of flowers.

This was such a nice first flush Darjeeling. It was put together so well, if that makes any sense at all. The aromas and flavors were layered in a very sophisticated fashion. It also had a wonderful texture in the mouth. I would recommend this one very highly.

I was surprised when I opened the sealed pack for this tea because the dried leaves were much greener than I expected! For a black tea (even a first flush), I was expecting darker leaves. But these leaves are definitely a bright green—no hint of darkness to them at all!

I steeped the tea using 4 grams of dried leaves in 12 ounces of near boiling water for 4 minutes.

The tea brewed into a very bright, pleasant liquor—very similar to a Helles beer or even a chamomile tisane. The first aromas I discovered coming from the liquor reminded me much more of a green or oolong tea instead of a black tea. It was a vegetal aroma, with a slight floral and muscatel scent. Very pleasant.

The vegetal aroma of the tea didn’t translate into the flavor, though. The primary flavors I discovered were nutty, muscatel, citrus, and apricot. It also had a very slight buttery aftertaste—maybe an extension of the nutty flavor…? A slight tang to it which reminded me of an oolong, but not as defined.

Overall, this was a tea of excellent quality and flavor—one that I will enjoy having again. Given the low caffeine, it will make a good evening tea for the warm summer months ahead.

NOTE: The package I used had a date of picking noted as 17 March 2017.

The dried tea leaves were very dark—they appeared more like a smoked Lapsang Souchong tea than a pure Indian tea.

I brewed 5 grams of dried tea leaves in 12 ounces of near boiling water for 4 minutes. The tea liquor had a light brown color to it, lighter than I expected for a black tea.

This was an excellent Earl Grey tea. The bergamot oil was not too overpowering—it was flavorful but restrained. I also liked the additional citrus flavor within it—more of an orange flavor than lemon or grapefruit. The combination of the two was very pleasant. I didn’t notice any additional flavors beyond what was identified in the name. In general, one of the best Earl Grey-style teas I have had.

NOTE: The tea I used had a month of packaging date of August, 2016.

This is a very nice tea. It is light in flavor, not strong. It has that classic Darjeeling muscatel note. This stuff is good.

I brewed this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 minutes.

Another package found in the black tea sampler from Vahdam.

The first thing I noticed with this tea when I brought it out of the bag is that it is a mixture of orthodox, full-leaf tea and broken tea. Some stems, but not too many. But, a good percentage of this tea is broken leaf/fannings. The leaves are very dark with some golden tips mixed in.

I steeped the tea using 5 grams of dried leaves in 12 ounces of near boiling water for 4 minutes, 30 seconds.

The tea brewed into a dark brown liquor with a hint of redness. It is an attractive tea to look at.

The first aroma and flavor I noticed was cocoa/chocolate, both in smell and in taste. There is no question that this is the primary flavor and aroma to the tea. Behind the cocoa, though, I also notice aromas of wood, flowers, Muscat grapes, and wet rocks—hints of its nature as a second flush Darjeeling. I can find the muscatel and wet rock flavors when I drink it, but the floral aroma does not translate into the flavor. There is also some astringency to it.

Overall, I have to say I really liked this! It was exactly what I was expecting in a second flush Darjeeling, with the added bonus of the surprising cocoa/chocolate flavor. It has some body to it—more of a morning tea than a refreshing afternoon tea. I am glad that I didn’t finish off the sample with this steeping since I will want to have this one again. I see on the website that this is also fairly inexpensive, comparatively, so that is one more reason to love this tea! :)

NOTE: The tea I used had a month of picking listed as June, 2016.

This is a very nice tea. It is a complex mix of malt, dark chocolate, and a certain amount of fruity flavor. It is very good. So far all the teas I have gotten from Vahdam Teas have been good teas. None of them were bad at all. This one is not as nice as their first flush Darjeelings but is very good. Tasates more like a black tea than the first flush that is for sure.

I brewed this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper witih 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 minutes. I will probably go back for a resteep.

Another of the samples I purchased in the black tea sampler set from Vahdam Teas.

Out of the bag, the dried leaves were a mixture of dark and light, but almost entirely full-leaf—very few broken leaves. The tea appears much lighter than I expected.

I steeped the tea using 4 grams of dried leaves in 12 ounces of near boiling water for slightly longer than 4 minutes.

This tea was a complete surprise to me! I have never had a winter flush black tea nor a tea from a Nilgiri estate so I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect, but I was nonetheless still thinking it would be a heavy, black tea—similar to a breakfast blend. There’s no reason for me to expect that, but that is what I had in mind when I saw the bag in my samples. What I got was something completely different!

The brewed tea started off with vegetal and floral notes in the aroma. It reminded me more of a Japanese green tea than a black tea. The freshly-brewed liquor had a light gold color, much like a light pilsner beer.

As I drank the tea throughout the morning, I was surprised at how the flavor, and the color, of the liquor changed! What started out as light golden in color changed to a slightly darker hue of yellowish-orange. The vegetal notes also lessened as the tea cooled, bringing forth flavors of apricot and even something like burned/melted table sugar. The floral notes stayed with the tea all morning, as did a slight astringency.

Overall, I think I would really enjoy this tea if I was in the mood for it. I wasn’t this morning, but I am not going to give the tea a bad rating because it wasn’t what I, in my ignorance to Nilgiri teas and/or winter flushes, expected. This would make a good afternoon tea or a tea for warm, summer days. I will definitely drink it again, knowing now what its character is, at a time when I am in the mood for it. It is a very refreshing drink—not something that beats you on the head like a hammer to wake you up first thing in the morning. Since the liquor began with the color of beer, I’ll will conclude with the summary that this tea is both “great taste and less filling.” ;)

NOTE: The sample I used showed a date of picking as 02 January 2017.

I am not an expert on Earl Grey teas. The citrus in this one is very strong and a little bit sour. Overall it is good.

I steeped this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 minutes.