Darjeeling

Classical music playing, Panera muffin, and Bigelow tea…I am back at Duke Medical to get my stitches out! I almost reached for the same tea I had last time, English Tea Time by Bigelow, but I decided to be a little more adventurous. Yesterday’s review warned me away from I Love Lemon, so I went with Darjeeling.

This is pretty good! It is nice and earthy like the last Darjeeling I had, but not quite as earthy. It is smooth, not bitter, not astringent. I think if I ever need to provide tea to masses and have it be something very forgiving of temperature, conditions, and steep times, Bigelow would be the way to go.

I don’t remember ever having this before. Low expectations. Open the envelope and sniff. Hey! The bag smells fruity and of hay. I steeped two minutes per instructions and not the five minutes I would have used a few years ago. Fruity, earthy. Oh why couldn’t this be loose leaf so it would have the depth it deserves. This is really good. I am surprised. Not bitter. Lightly drying.

On the second day of the cruise (New Year’s Eve), the ship held afternoon tea around 3, so of course my wife and I attended with her mom, sister, and grandmother. Cucumber sandwiches and tasty desserts were had by all and they opened a grand tea chest that was unfortunately full of Bigelow teas. Still, I’d rather have Bigelow than Lipton or Red Rose, so I reached for this one and it hit just the right spot. It was perfect for what I was craving and while I would have preferred loose leaf, when it comes to bagged teas, Bigelow is my tea of choice.

Funny side story, in the first port, Saint Thomas, we found a pretty little display of tea in wooden boxes that my sister in law was trying so hard to convince me to buy for our tea collection. The brand of tea? Metropolitan Tea Company…one of the warehouses for which is literally around the corner from our house. >.< Needless to say, it stayed on the shelf XD.

When it comes to bagged Darjeeling, I pick Bigelow everytime. Nevermind that their samples never arrived to me this last Spring. The second flush shipment this year was quite nice. By the way, if you want to make sure to get your selected season of choice, buy directly from Bigelow and avoid second-hand retailers who tend to sit on their inventory. I prefer the maltiness of Ceylon teas most of the time, but an occasional Darjeeling really challenges your preferences.

Well, when I sniffed the dry tea bag it smelled exactly like the horse barn at the fair. That turned me off a little. I heated up the water anyway and steeped it for exactly 2 minutes, and added my usual 2 Splenda packets. With the sweetener it just tastes like mild, unobtrusive tea for me, a nice enough for evening tea if you feel lazy and want to use a tea bag. I wouldn’t drink it without the sweetener though.

While staying for a few days at my folks house I found myself rummaging though the cupboards looking for a tea and stumbled upon this. While I am actually a fan of Bigelow Earl Grey, I can’t say the same for most other mass market bagged tea. I was not surprised this didn’t break the mold for me the way their Earl Grey does. It was adequate and served to warm me sufficiently after lending my hand on the family farm on a particularly chilly September day. What more can I say?… It was warm and tasted of tea.

At first, I thought, “Seriously, Bigelow? 1-2 minutes for a black tea?”, but I went with it anyway. I see why they recommend that now. As others have said, this is a strangely harsh tea. I’ve not had much experience with darjeelings before, but the last I had did not have the sharp bitter aftertaste this does. The muscatel flavor is very accessible, which is another thing I like about it. But it dries my mouth out like no other.

But I like bitterness, so this is interesting to me. I’m glad I have another bag.

Comparable in taste to Twinings or Ahmad. Sweet flowery taste with a somewhat bitter aftertaste. Not too astringent. I might try cold brewing this tea, the Twinings and Ahmad Darjeelings and see if the bitter edge disappears.

Not bad for a bagged tea. I definitely think it has the basic Darjeeling taste down, but it’s not a homerun by any means. Good for work.

Um, its warm. And…not earl grey or lipton. My third option at work for when I’m tired of having the same taste all the time, like a slight kick-in-the-face in the morning to get me jumpstarted. Nothing unique though, and doesn’t do well for a second steep. I’m sure it would taste better if I had the ability to properly drink it with better temperatures, etc, but at work its ehh.

Another one of the free work teas. I really like this one, almost better than the English breakfast. For anyone who knows how addicted to caffeine I am, that’s surprising. But this is more smooth, more mellow. I think I may enjoy this more than the harsher breakfast in the afternoons to combat the “food coma” from lunch.

The liquor is a dark gold, very lovely. The smell is actually not that strong, which I rather like. You get a burst of the black tea taste at the front of the sip, then a nice easy smoothness comes that I can only describe as “leafy”. Reminds me of a warm forest in early fall. Not too astringent, either. I like this one.

harsh, but the best of a bad choice among free tea at work.

Not a huge fan of bagged tea (trying not to use the term, “teabag”), but sometimes it’s a necessary evil when in a hurry.

Darjeeling is something I am not very experienced in. Bagged darjeeling is sort of opposing idea as well, just like oolongs; it’s a premium tea in a generic format. The flavor of this one is generally good. I fail to find good grape/citrus notes but it delivers full force on the pleasant bitterness front. So much in fact that I find it a bit too strong to have on an empty stomach. It packs the punch and in no way can be described as mediocre or generic tea, the Darjeeling heritage is definitely there regardless of whether it’s very refined. For a bagged tea it’s a strong contender.

Not as good as English Teatime, IMO, but nonetheless a decent black tea. Mildly bitter, but pleasant enough to enjoy.

Dry, Burnt, and Harsh.

It leaves a terrible burnt aftertaste, originated by a dark dark dry sip of it.

Definitely not my favourite. In fact, I dread this one.

I remember buying this box and looking forward in trying something new and was really disappointed because it was very harsh for me. It could be the steeping time and temperature. It took a year for me to finish the box. Maybe I will try again with a different brand or a loose altenative.
1/16/2012- Okay, so I bought a second box since it was on sale. I carefully steeped this tea for 2 minutes or it becomes bitter quickly. I raised the rating since I like the favor the second time around. I’m not sure if this will be in my regular rotation of my tea, but I will give it a chance to grow on me.

Had this today but I got distracted unpacking the car so I oversteeped it. It was a little bitter, but not too bad. I really enjoy darjeeling tea, but I have never tried a high quality kind. This is a good quick tea though.

A bit harsh but not bad for a black tea in the morning.

This is the only tea from Bigelow brand that I like (of the 6 or 7 that I have tried) but I would put most other brands of basic black tea ahead of even this.