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Darjeeling Mim
Good body with a classic muscatel character.
Country of Origin: India
Region: Darjeeling
Shipping Port: Calcutta
Grade: TGFOP1 (Tippy Golden Flavoury Orange Pekoe 1)
Altitude: 6800 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type: Orthodox
Cup Characteristics: Good body with a classic muscatel character. This quality is only available during June when the 2nd flush growing season is at its peak.
Infusion: Bright tending light
Ingredients: Luxury black tea.
Mim is in the Darjeeling area of Northern India. From the town center on a clear day the peak of Mount Everest can be seen. The genus of the Darjeeling tea bush is the Chinese Jat, which gives it the distinctive muscatel character. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and in relatively cool weather the bushes do not grow quickly, and as such the production is limited. The best time of the year for quality is during ‘second-flush’ (end May – end June). During this time Darjeelings are incomparable to any other tea in the world. The fragrance and taste is a complex bouquet that reaches right out of the cup. Some would describe the taste as nutty; others find it reminds them of black currants, but most often it is described as similar to the taste and fragrance of muscat grapes.There are 3 main times of year for producing good
quality Darjeelings:1st flush – springtime harvested teas from late Feb. to mid April. The young leaves yield a light tea with generally intense muscatel with ‘point’. A gentle afternoon tea.
2nd flush – Harvested in June, these teas are more fully developed. The liquor is bright and the taste full and round excellent muscatel. A superb afternoon tea that is especially good with scones and raspberry conserve.
Reaching into the box that I received from my SororiTea Sister Azzrian (thanks!) I grabbed a random tea, which turned out to be THIS Darjeeling Mim.
And it’s excellent!
I love Darjeeling as it is, and Mim is one of the very best available. It has a lovely muscat grape note, sweet, almost wine-like, slightly astringent but not overly so. Everything that I expect from a high quality Darjeeling, I’m pleased to say!
Thanks again, Azzrian. This is lovely!
A review of Darjeeling Mim by Pekko Teas
Date: 10/26/2012
Company: Pekko Teas
Tea Name: Darjeeling Mim
Tea Type/Varietal: Black
Region: Nothern India
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: red wine
Leaf Characteristics: I like the gold brick like pouch that this tea is placed in. And for me the pouch makes me think of coffee. When I open the pouch, the aroma is semi-sweet roast and the leaves are finely and darken green in color not black.
1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes
Note: They say presentation is everything and Pekko Teas have certainly outdone themselves in that category. Their tea arrived in regular small box but once opened you are met with a lovely green tissue wrapping with their Pekko Tea logo labeled on tissue. It is like a small gift. Then when I remove the tissue wrapping, I find this bar of gold but it is a tea pouch/bag of their Darjeeling Mim tea. Truly, I am touched since this is a sample. I did not purchase this tea.
I am pleased with having received such a lovely treasure.
This tea is aromatically sweet and I took 1 teaspoon of the leaves and place them in my tea mug and I already had the water boiled; so I simply add the boiling water into my cup and leave it to steep for 3 minutes.
This is not a strong smelling Darjeeling, even though on the package it said “full-bodied”. From smelling the tea bag leaves which smells very sweet, mildly roasted. I mean not a smoky scent.
I remove the cover from my cup and begin to strain out the leaves and pour the tea into another cup. Tea’s color is a lovely red, when held directly under the light it is bright and light in color; it is not a deep red. I take a sip of the tea and it is smooth tasting and fruity like and when swallowing there is that drying effect, mildly noticeable and the aroma is that of “Muscat”…I associate with grapes (sweet and tart) at times.
2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 195 Fahrenheit
Time: 4 minutes
Note: I am using the same tea leaves and poured the newly boiled water into my cup over the tea leaves and let it steep a bit longer. That reddish color is there to meet me, tea is the color of red wine with a fruity aroma. It is mildly fruity and not at all bold, in your face over powering of fruits.
The tea’s liquor is sweet with a lovely reddish coloring and this tea has not astringency. It is said to be a full-bodied tea; there is weight to this tea as I swish it around my mouth and that drying effect from when swallowed.
Overall, this Darjeeling Mim has a lovely fragrance; the liquor is sweet and tart with a bright coloring of red. It is smooth with a fine muscatel as a lasting effect which I associate with having a dry palette, that lip smacking kind of dryness.
Thank you Pekko Teas for sending this tea for me to sample, it really is an amazing cup of tea.
