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Scott B

42 Followers / 11 Following

Organic Korakundah Nilgiri Black Tea from Arbor Teas

Scott B drank Organic Korakundah Nilgiri Black Tea by Arbor Teas

This is my first Nilgiri.

Dry leaves are dark brown and twisted. Dry leaf aroma is a little malty and similar to an Assam. Liquor is lightly copper-maybe just a bit darker than a Darjeeling.

I really didn’t know what to expect from this tea-I bought it because I had never had a Nilgiri. I like most Indian blacks, so it seemed to be a reasonable choice. I agree there is a resemblance to a Ceylon tea-in fact, until I’m more experienced with Nilgiris, I’m not sure that I could tell this apart from a Ceylon in a blind taste test. I don’t taste the Assam notes I detected in the dry leaf. I don’t taste the floral notes that Arbor promises-which is fine, because I’m not big on floral. I also disagree in Arbor describing this tea as “delicate”-when I think delicate, I think of a white tea. I think it’s rather full-bodied and brisk. It’s fairly smooth, however-is it possible for tea to have characteristics of both briskness and smoothness?

Although I disagree with Arbor’s descriptions, I did enjoy this cup and look forward to drinking more of it.

2012-05-08 11:07:12 -0400

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Amy oh 2012-05-08 13:18:14 -0400

I’ve always heard NIlgiri makes a good iced tea. Regardless, I’ve only had one that was from the Tao of Tea…

Scott B 2012-05-08 13:32:19 -0400

Yes, Arbor says it’s nice for iced tea because it won’t cloud. Hopefully, I will get a chance to try it that way.

ScottTeaMan 2012-05-08 16:03:58 -0400

I’ve only had one or two Nilgiri teas-years ago, and at the time I didn’t really care for them. They do tend to be brisk, and the one (s) I had were citrusy-like lemons. I don;t really like lemon in my tea, so that’s why I didn’t really go GAGA over it. I may like a good Nilgiri now though, because my tastes in tea have evolved, so I should try some soon.

Amy, everyone says they make good iced tea, so it’s probably true. Did you like the one you had from Tao of Tea?

Scott B 2012-05-08 19:14:56 -0400

Scott-I don’t really care for lemon either and I did not taste any citrus notes of any kind in this. It didn’t really hold up well to a second infusion,though.

ScottTeaMan 2012-05-08 19:22:35 -0400

I don’t really remember what garden my Nilgiri tea came from, but it was brisk & lemomy. I’m sure they’re all not the same though.

Amy oh 2012-05-08 19:27:41 -0400

I had the plain nilgiri and the Lemon drops which had lemon myrtle in it. I liked them both but it sounds like I’m more of a lemon fan than either of you Scotts. :)

ScottTeaMan 2012-05-08 19:35:09 -0400

At some point-soon, I need to try Nilgiri tea again, b/c my tastes could’ve changed. It may be that I like these teas more now. I was sort of a loose tea newb, back then. :))

Scott B 2012-05-08 19:44:00 -0400

Scott-Yeah, Nilgiri seems pretty adventurous for someone just starting out. Tastes do change, so there might be a Nilgiri you like.

Amy-I like strawberry or raspberry lemonade, but otherwise, can’t think of much I like with lemon. Perhaps that’s why I don’t like Earl Grey-bergamot tastes too lemony to me.

ScottTeaMan 2012-05-08 19:48:37 -0400

Interesting…….I like Earl Grey, & bergamot doesn’t taste lemony to me. At least I never noticed it before. Well, I’m off to try to brew my Goomtee Darjeeling gongfu style. :))

Scott B 2012-05-08 21:38:35 -0400

Oh, I hope I didn’t put lemon in your mind while your drinking Earl Grey! I wouldn’t say that it tastes exactly like lemon to me-but bergamot does taste more like lemon than any other citrus I am familiar with. Enjoy your brew.

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Started drinking tea for health benefits maybe 5 years ago-exclusively bagged tea. Usually went for various Celestial Seasonings type of stuff. I bought a tea infuser at a gourmet shop once and then I realized there was almost no loose tea available. Eventually tiring of bags, I started ordering loose tea online and I have never gone back. Initially, I was exploring all the wild and exotic flavor combinations, but now I mostly drink straight teas. I still enjoy blended teas-but prefer those without “flavoring”. Hope to learn here and find some new teas I might not otherwise find. Am a vegan, so “milk” generally means “soymilk” to me. If it’s almond, rice, or coconut, I will mention that fact.

I am new here, and new to reviewing tea. Many of my initial reviews will be from memory and may not be very detailed at all. I hope to write more informative reviews on current and future teas.

I won’t let external factors affect my rating of the tea-such as slow shipping, too expensive, etc. I’ll mention any customer service problems in my reviews. I also won’t let my mistakes in not following the seller’s recommended parameters affect a rating. I can’t believe people who say “I forgot about it and oversteeped it” and then give it a rating. If I brew outside the parameters, I will wait until I brew it right before I give it a rating.

TEMPORARY RATING SYSTEM- Don’t hold me to these numbers and descriptions-like George Bluth, I like to tweak.

90+ It’s awesome, right?? I’ll probably try to keep it on hand.

80-89 – I really like this and will buy it again at some point, but there are so many teas to try!

70-79 – This is a pretty good tea and I may buy it again based on my mood, what tea store I am buying from, and what kind of deal I can get.

60-69 – This is okay. I finished the bag. I would drink it again if offered, but would not buy it again.

40-59 – IF I finished the bag, I recall this tea thinking “Why in the hell did I finish the bag?”

1-39 – Did not finish the bag. Maybe not even the cup. Tea was given away or discarded.