TM62: Jun Chiyabari Estate HRHT

I picked up a sample of this awhile back, as I fell in love with the Jun Chiyabari estate tea from David’s. This is a superb black, with robust toasty notes while being reminiscent of a darjeeling. It had just enough slight bite and fruity flavor to it. This actually reminded quite a bit of the Laoshan black, if the laoshan didn’t have as much of a malty base (I still like laoshan black better). Excellent tea.

The leaves on this one are surprisingly lovely for such a mass distributor as Upton, complete with some noticeably long, pretty tips. Dry and brewing this smells surprisingly toasty and grainy—an earlier review mentions a vague resemblance to Laoshan Black of all things, and I can actually definitely see that (which is so surprising!); there isn’t the intense chocolatiness, but there is that barley-ish toasted chew feel. It isn’t like other Nepalese teas I’ve had, less woody and floral and more food-ish (I could be imagining it but I almost smell sweet cooked carrot). Some fruity perfumed astringency and tannin comes in at the end, giving it more resemblance to what I was expecting (darjeeling-ish qualities). Really surprised and impressed with this one!

Floral, almost jasmine. Crispy but not clearly noticeable black tea underneath. It’s rich and dark after a few moments before the floral flavors come back up over it. The taste flows and switches. It’s nifty.

A back of tongue/throat bitterness comes through after a while as a blackness. The floral is purples and yellows and poppies and petals. It’s a weird bouquet sort of flavor in the flower tastes.

The finish is long and the flowers stay on the front half of the tongue and wraps around the sides towards under it. The light black flavor seems to float inside the mouth above the tongue and throat as it ends.

This is a very good tea. But at the same time I don’t know what to make of it. Maybe that’s why it’s as good as it is.

2.25g/6oz water. Since the rating here doesn’t show decimal amount.