400ml of water at 195F
1 generous table spoon of tea
Steeping time 5 minutes (yes, 5 minutes)
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar
Teapot warmed and rinsed with hot water. Tea leaves placed into the teapot and left standing for 30+ seconds to build up the aroma.
A very green tea with a fresh scent. This First Flush Darjeeling is very different in taste when compared with other FF Darjeelings from Mariage Freres. Floral and almost grassy in tea, in leans toward a fine Japanese Green tea in flavor. The astringency is stronger in this tea than other Mariage Freres Darjeelings which leads to a slightly sour aftertaste. This is my wife’s favorite tea out of all the 2012 FF Darjeelings we have. As for my rating, it is slightly lower than previously reviewed Darjeeling. This is due to the higher astrngency masking the depth in taste of this tea. I have lowered the steeping times in several brews which controls the astringency yet the shorter time tends to decrease the release of the different flavors this tea contains.
As with all FF Mariage Freres Darjeelings, this is also an exceptional tea.
