Dooteriah Autumnal Darjeeling

I tried this today along with the Sungma Darjeeling from H&S. Figured since I have tons of darjeeling sitting around maybe I should try to figure out what I like best so I can keep just one or two in stock.

The dry leaves smell of dry hay but not as strongly as the Sungma does. There are more green leaves in the Dooteriah. When brewed, this is about the same color and has an aroma similar enough that I can’t say I would be able to tell them apart if I didn’t already know which was which. The flavor of Dooteriah is lighter, a bit more floral, less muscatel.

Between the two, I think I prefer the Sungma though I will enjoy this until it is gone and if it were to go on sale I would probably be sorely tempted to pick some up again. So my experiments must continue until I can actually find some that I won’t be tempted by later… That may not be possible…

The dry leaf smells very fruity. Yes, possibly the ‘stone fruit’ mentioned in the description. While steeping, I don’t get much aroma at all. Maybe a little fruit and tea. But I have to almost submerge my nose to get it. The actual tea is not impressive. I don’t get much flavor from it at all. Though there does seem to be something ‘fruity’ at the back of my throat. This is my second cup of this tea and it seems weaker than the first though time spent steeping it was roughly the same. This requires more experimentation.