Raipur Classic Spring Black Tea (2017)

I am still trying to get used to these Kangra black teas. They are just so green and vegetal compared to every other type of black tea I have ever tried. Compared to the last Kangra black tea I tried, this one was much greener. I found it to be an interesting tea, but perhaps not one I would want to drink regularly.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped about 3 grams of loose leaf material in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any subsequent infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted pleasantly earthy, woody, vegetal aromas. After infusion, I found aromas of cooked greens, wood, toast, malt, grass, and damp hay. In the mouth, the liquor offered notes of cooked collard greens, kale, spinach, damp grass, damp hay, earth, malt, toast, spring honey, tree bark, peanut, herbs, and fresh, raw tree nuts (almond, walnut, and beechnut). The finish was initially vegetal and grassy, but soon gave way to smooth malt and nut notes.

An interesting and extremely unique black tea, this certainly provided me with a new drinking experience. Prior to trying this tea, I would never have imagined that any sort of orthodox black tea could be so vegetal on the nose and in the mouth. Even compared to some of the greener first flush Darjeelings on the market, this tea was unbelievably green and vegetal. While I would not make this a regular tea, I did enjoy it. It perplexed me, but ultimately, it was very rewarding. I think this tea would be great for those moments when something different is required, and I also think it would work well as a way of easing green tea drinkers into the joys of Indian black tea.