Dreamsicle Darjeeling

Decupboarding today with one final teapot. I will have to try more darjeelings as this one is so good! Thanks again to Jillian for the opportunity to try this winner.

Yay! My order arrived today! 52Teas has the fastest FREE shipping ever! Woot!

OK when I first heard about this tea (Thanks Stephanie for alerting me to it!) I knew I had to try it. I LOVE Darjeeling… and there really aren’t a lot of flavored Darjeelings out there (yeah – they don’t really NEED flavoring because they’re so complex and flavorful without the flavoring, but, I’m always interested in trying something a little bit out of the ordinary … in case you haven’t noticed from my tasting note archives).

Mmm… creamy… mmm… sweet and orange-y … mmm… Darjeeling! This is really good!

It tastes like someone dropped a Dreamsicle into my cup of Darjeeling! YUM!

Well, I can really taste the Darjeeling today – not so much the cream or the orange…but then again my taster is off…but I think I am on the upswing…fingers crossed

Just like the description reads- orangey and creamy. Very good. And the darjeeling taste comes thru..

Until today my experience with Darjeelings was limited to having tried 2 different first flush Darjeelings which were okay but not my favorite tea. I have always wanted to try a Margaret’s Hope darjeeling though…I mean, I almost HAVE to since my name is Margaret.
This is tea 1 of 4 from my most recent 52teas order. The dry tea smelled more like an Earl Grey to me than a creamy dreamsicle flavor, but that was remedied after brewing. I originally tried this plain which was very nice with a light creamy orange flavor complemented by the muscatel from the Darjeeling. However, I think this tea is meant to have a bit of half and half. I was careful to put just a tiny bit because I didn’t want to overpower the subtle notes of the Darjeeling.

This tea really rocks with the addition of half and half! It is truly like eating a Dreamsicle while sipping on a cup of Darjeeling. Wow, I can’t believe that I waited so long to order this! I really think I’ll be more likely to seek out different Darjeelings now, as long as they aren’t first flush which really isn’t my thing. Another standout from 52teas, I will be shocked if I ever have a tea that I don’t love from this company.

Dreamsicle Darjeeling, you dream! The orange creaming soda overwhelms you as soon as you rip open the foil bag, which instantly made my mouth water. Of course the flavour of the brewed tea didn’t disappoint at all, this is perfection in a cup! And how delicious would this be iced? I don’t know as its currently 5 degrees outside, but I imagine it would be just as good (if not better).
As an aside, I wish darjeeling was used more in flavoured blends. I think the characteristics of the tea could lend themselves well to certain flavours. Especially this one!

Thank you Doulton for sending me this sample. Can’t believe it took me this long to try it. Better late then never.

First, this has such a sweet flowery orange maybe like orange blossoms at their peak. I also can taste the creaminess very well and when I drink this all I think about is my trips to Arizona with the memory of the desert sun, not a cloud in the sky, warm, and beautiful. It is a nice tea that helps me go to one of my happy places.

I hadn’t intended to open this one quite yet, but I decided to send some away in a swap so I figured now would be as good a time as any to give this a try.

I’m not too fond of the smell – it’s creamy and orangey but it smells a bit spoiled to me as though the cream part has started to go off. Not that I think the tea is actually spoiled, but that’s how my nose is interpreting it.

The flavour is more likable – the astringency and mild sourness of the orange goes quite well with the natural muscatel flavour of the Darjeeling. It’s not too drying like I found my last (plain) Margaret’s Hope tea to be. I noticed that it also has a nice sweetness that doesn’t block the other flavours so everything is pretty well balanced.

The scent’s still a bit off-putting though. :(

Yes, indeed i doubted if that combination could work – me being a Darjeeling-“fan” since ages. But, in fact, it does work. The flavouring adds some nice extra to a good Margarets Hope Darjeeling (although i’m not too much into Margarets Hope to be honest). In fact this tea is something very unique, something i guess i will drink now every day as long as it lasts :)

Just jotting down some quick impressions:

Citrus rind. Lime-like. Orange pith. Grape-notes. Champagne? Milk or cream?—not much. Slight potpourri-ness. Grapefruit.

I guess I sort of like it? …it’s very delicate with an unusual non-bubbly “effervescence”…..but it’s a bit bitter and slightly sour. :(