DARJEELING TEA LOVERS

Hurray! My taste buds are back in action!

I was really starting to get worried there, when last night I could still sense that my taste buds were still not quite working right. But, today, my husband took me out to breakfast and I could taste everything, and while I don’t quite have my appetite back to what it was (I couldn’t finish breakfast), I could taste all the wonderful flavors again.

But after breakfast I was still feeling a little weary so I needed a nap … so believe it or not this is my first cup of tea of the day! (The tea that they served at the restaurant was not worth drinking) And what a lovely cuppa this is.

This is a fantastic Darjeeling, MUSCATEL! A lovely muscatel note – sweet and fruity, with a fermented grape like flavor (wine-y), and also a very clean … almost effervescent kind of taste that ties into the astringency. That is not to say this is overly astringent, in fact, I find it to be very lightly astringent when considering this is a Darjeeling and I often find them to be more astringent than this. But the bubbly, I almost want to say it tastes almost like sparkling mineral water … and this taste together with the slight astringency gives it a very light, crisp, clean taste that is really quite lovely.

Notes of oak in the background, vaguely earthy … these flavors are especially noticeable in the aftertaste. A beautiful, complex cup.

It’s so nice to have my palate back!

Aaaand the Darjeeling binge continues, but this time with an offering courtesy of LibreTEAS. She passed on this little beauty in a care package, given my ravings for all things Giddapahar. After all, the estate was the first in Darjeeling I ever fell in lust over – thanks to their Musk. (That sentence does NOT sound right.)

This time it was a Darjeeling white! One of my favorite types of whites. This differed from the usual Darj fair because aromatically (at least dry) it smelled like a Bai Mu Dan – floral, grapy, and full-bodied.

On taste, it was even more compelling. It, honestly, tasted like a whiter version of their Giddapahar Musk, only not as perfect. It is a great tea from that estate but not the absolute best they’ve made. Still, for a late-night, last-minute, lighter-than-usual caffeine kick, it’s a tasty treat.

UPDATE And I just learned you can boil the BLEEP out of it, forget about it, and it will still turn out good. Hurray for steep negligence!

Muscatel!

If you’ve ever read a tasting note or tea review and read the word “muscatel” and wondered exactly what it might taste like – this is the tea to try. This tea will show you through its amazing flavor what muscatel is. It is more than grape. It is a wine-like taste, grape, sure … but a fermented grape. Sweet and dry. Hints of black currant. Even notes of musky spice and wood. This tea has that. And it is SO good.

This is quite possibly one of the most pronounced muscatel tastes that I’ve yet to experience.

The tea itself is also a bit different from other Darjeeling teas that I’ve tried – which tend to be light, crisp and even a bit sparkling in nature. This tea has more of a Ceylon-like body, not quite as crisp and sparkling, it is more substantial. Smooth and silky. Sweet. Dry without a overwhelming astringency.

Just plain … amazing.

Lovely! Absolutely lovely!

The aroma of the dry leaf is very vegetative and earthy – reminiscent of where I live – the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, the forest areas … it smells deep and green with notes of earth and even hints of wood. After it’s brewed, it has a stronger vegetative tone, not so much of the woody or earthy notes to it now that its brewed… it almost smells grassy, but it doesn’t taste “grassy” … this tastes more like a light, gentle and soothing vegetable soup!

I love this Goomtee Silver Green. It tastes so fresh and vibrant … and it’s oh-so-smooth. Sweet and pleasantly vegetative. Light fruit notes along with gentle (very gentle) spiced tones… tasting a little bit like what I’d expect from an oxidized Darjeeling but, this one is much softer and smoother in its approach. It is still very clean and crisp … and very enjoyable.

Wow! This is amazing!

This is a white tea? That is what surprises me most about this tea. When you think “white tea” … what comes to mind? Something pale and delicate? This tea will shatter those thoughts and change how you think about white tea. It has an amazing complexity to it, sweet, fruity, hints of air and vegetation… but that is not what is so different about it. In the foreground, ahead of this delicate complexity is a BOLD floral note that really lives up to its name “White Orchid” There is no need to seek out this floral tone … it is there, evident, present, and unmistakeable.

And I think that is what sets this white tea apart from most white teas. It really is a forward tea – it doesn’t approach the palate quietly, it offers its sharp orchid note right up front. Once the palate moves a bit beyond that, the flavors become less intense, more delicate, but still very flavorful. Delightful fruit notes that morph between that of a soft white grape and hints of peach, and even a honey-esque note that evoked thoughts of honey crisp apples. These background notes are crisp and light and Darjeeling-esque.

Truly a remarkable white tea.

This is a fabulous white tea from the Darjeeling estate of Margarets Hope. It has notes that are very Darjeeling-esque: I can taste the sweet, crisp, clean fruit notes of a Darjeeling, but this is even lighter than a black Darjeeling as it is a white tea… then again, it is not quite as light as a typical Bai Mu Dan or Silver Needle might be.

I find this tea to be fascinating and so good that my mouth seems to water in anticipation of a sip! Delightful … absolutely delightful. I’ve tasted a few “White Darjeeling” teas but this one might just be the best I’ve tasted yet.