This teabag was left over from an interview I hosted last week. Never one to pass up a tea opportunity, I pocketed it for later consumption. It helps that I like darjeeling, although my tastes err towards loose leaf first flush. It’s been a long time since I tried a bagged variety. In any case, I gave this one 2 minutes in boiling water. No additions. The bag contains very finely chopped leaves (really almost dust), although there is some green to be seen, which is mildly encouraging. The resulting liquor is a medium amber, and the scent is fresh and mildly floral.
The first thing that strikes me about the flavour is, unfortunately, the bitterness. There’s a small wash of pleasing flavour before the bitterness kicks in, but it’s undeniably fleeting. The very beginning of the sip is lightly grapey, and carries a hint of orchid. It has the potential to be pleasant, but the overwhelming bitterness puts an immediate stop to that. The end of the sip is highly astringent, and very drying on the palate.
Sadly, this isn’t the darjeeling for me. I think perhaps cooler water or a much, much shorter brew time would be required to make this one even remotely palatable. I’m not too sad that I don’t have another bag to experiment with, though. There are better darjeelings out there for a fact.
