Another of the What-Cha samples I am just now getting around to reviewing, this Nilgiri was advertised as deriving a unique fruity character from exposure to winter frosts. So, this tea was not supposed to be your typical floral Nilgiri. Well, score one for truthfulness in advertising because it was not.
To prepare this tea, I steeped approximately 3-4 grams of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 194 F water for 4 minutes. Honestly, I was preparing this tea in a rush and easily could have used up to 5 grams in the cup. I did not have time to attempt any additional infusions, but considering that I rarely reinfuse teas of this type, I do not see that as being all that big of a deal.
Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves gave off a wonderfully fruity scent. After infusion, I picked up wonderfully pronounced apricot and nectarine aromas. In the mouth, this tea was very smooth and mild, offering pleasant notes of apricot, golden raisin, nectarine, toast, butter, and malt. I also detected faint undertones of straw, dried flowers, mango, and papaya. The finish was exceptionally smooth, rich, and fruity, emphasizing a swell of honey, apricot, and nectarine underscored by a subtle malt presence.
This was a very nice Nilgiri. Not only did it smell and taste great, but it had a nice body with wonderful texture in the mouth. I can only imagine how much better this would have been had I not ever so slightly underleafed it, but at least I was still able to enjoy this tea and get enough out of it to provide a detailed review. With any luck, What-Cha will be able to bring this one back in the near future. I would love to be able to spend more time playing around with this tea.
Flavors: Apricot, Butter, Flowers, Fruity, Malt, Mango, Raisins, Straw, Toast
