sygyzy

This might need to be reclassified as something besides a black tea. The brew is lighter, yellower. I had this this morning and to be honest, don’t remember much about it except that I liked it. 212F brewing temp suggests it’s a darker tea, which it was. Good thing I drank it in the morning. My ritual is always dark in the morning, lighter in the afternoon. I used about 3.3 grams for a 10oz mug.

What an unusual tea. First the leaves are very crispy and big. They take up lots of volume. I always go by weight so for me the recommended 2-3 tsp is the same as saying 6-9 grams which is a boat load of tea! I don’t even have that much in my sample so I used half the sample, so 2.5 G. I picked a brewing time of 9:30 which is between the suggested 8-10 minutes. I might leave it a bit longer since I am using less leaves.

Despite the long brewing time, the tea is still relatively light. No surprise here. The color is very light tinted copper or golden. It’s not as slippery or viscous as I expected. Pretty watery in texture. The taste is very comforting and lingers on the center of your tongue.

Disclaimer: I am a huge fan of Golden Monkey. This is a fine example. Nice dark brew. Lots of tanins and bitterness (but not in a bad way). I always try to describe smells and flavors in tea but to be honest, unlike wine, I rarely am able to find something descriptive enough. It just tastes like tea.

Very clean shiny brew. The opacity is excellent and uniform. Very minimal tea settled at bottom. Color is a dark caramel. Minimal tanins and acidity. More on the tail end. Nothing bad to say about it but it’s not incredibly memorable either. Take that as you will.

Quite the dark brew color, as to be expected with a Darjeeling. Viscosity is on the lighter side of medium. Taste is classic Darjeeling. The aroma … I am getting a nuttiness but I can’t put my finger on it. This is a take-notice tea so great for mornings (it’s 10:30AM right now).

Very lightly colored brew. Excellent unfurling of the pearls and color change of the leaves from a flour white to a brown green. Very little to no residue/sediment on bottom of the cup. Very clean jasmine scent but not at all perfum-y or overpowering. Like a sweet note in the background. Viscosity is thin and slick; coats your tongue.

This brews up a nice yellowish color. It is an excellent green tea with a great aftertaste. It reminds me of some Japanese greens. I am a sucker for different tea leaf shapes and this is a very unique one. They look like, well gunpowder. It even shimmers.

Brews up nice and dark, almost like fresh motor oil. Note: I may have let it steep up to a minute too long (6 mins vs 5). Good amount of tanins. Not overwhelming but definitely a caffeinated tea. This is great for morning and anytime you need a pick me up. The flavor lingers for a good 3 seconds after sipping.

Light amber color. Medium viscosity. Very smooth going down. Good mouthfeel. Not too much acidity or tanins. Excellent afternoon tea. Think you’d want to go with something darker for a wake-me-up morning drink.

I am not used to drinking green tea from India but this is a nice departure. The brew is a very light almost champagne color and reminds me of a light oolong. The tanins are very light and the tea tastes slightly sweet which I like. The acidity is very light as well. I am having this as an afternoon tea and it fits the bill perfectly.

The leaves of this tea have a powdery residue. If you have the habit of shaking your tin like I do, you’ll get a nice tea cloud when you open the top. I suggest you do not do this! This tea brews up slightly darker than a golden amber/caramel. On first taste, you get a hit of acidity though the intensity is not strong. Maybe very light meyer lemon. The main taste is tanin or bitterness but not any stronger than other black teas and perfectly delicious. I have always been against milk or sugar in my teas but this would go well with a scone or some lightly sweetened dessert or pastry.