Dilmah
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It’s been a long while since I’ve had this one. I feel a headache coming on so I decided I needed something a little more than my green teas I’ve been leaning toward recently. I didn’t want the bang in your face, wake up this instant, taste that I get from the blacks I have in my stash.
I still add a bit of sugar to this one. I think this tea, especially since it’s bagged, has a lovely flavor.
Woke up with a migraine this morning. Adjusting back to Missouri time is proving a bit difficult. Thankfully, I don’t work until 1p today. That means caffeinated tea and cuddling with the pooch. This is currently my favorite black tea, even if it is in tea bags.
This has been in my cupboard for too long… I am not sure if the slightly weird fruity flavour has anything to do with that. It tastes strongly of strawberry, but there is an additional sweet note that I cannot identify. I guess it’s supposed to be mango, but it tastes nothing like that! Anyway, the fruity flavour is artificial so it’s probably not for any serious tea drinker.
Preparation
This tea makes me feel like a caramel dragon!
It smells a bit caramel-y, but I mostly experience it as an aftertaste—especially in my breath. Maybe I’m just not experienced enough to distinguish “caramel” taste from “sweet” though because this is a sweet black tea. Strong, but not bitter.
I enjoy this cup less because of taste and more because it’s fun to be a dragon.
Flavors: Caramel, Sweet
Preparation
Truly one of the worst teas I’ve ever had. Possibly THE worst. I’d considered giving it a straight up 1/100, but I can sorta see how someone else might like it, even if it’s like drinking rose-scented dish soap.
For me, it was just way too floral. Overpowering. I couldn’t have imagined anything more floral unless I was literally eating rose petals straight up. Then again, I’m not a fan of floral teas. I’d tried adding some sugar to cut the bitter flavor, but to no avail. The vanilla flavor wasn’t present at all.
Overall, unless you enjoy the most floral of teas, I wouldn’t recommend this to you.
Flavors: Bitter, Floral, Rose, Soap
i’ve been mourning the loss of lipton “almond pleasure” tea for 15+ years now, and i am happy to say that i’ve found a decent replacement in dilmah’s “italian almond”. while i agree with other reviewers (both here and on amazon, where i ordered this tea) that the flavors of this tea are not complex, “almond pleasure” was definitely not complex either… so it doesn’t bother me very much.
after drinking it as-is the first few times, i had the idea of cutting the tea bag open and mixing the leaves with a heaping teaspoon of “coquelicot gourmand” from dammann freres. i think this will be my preferred combination from now on. the almond taste comes through quite delicately at the end of the sip, giving “coquelicot gourmand” a bit of an almond boost as it already has marzipan flavoring.
the tin smells heavenly when you open it. i wish i could purchase this tea in loose form rather than tea bags, but thats nothing a pair of scissors cant fix!
Preparation
Sadly I only really worked out how to brew this toward the end of the tin. Similar to Lover’s Leap with that clear light high grown quality but when overbrewed this one really does become minerally and metallically bitter. Time it right and you have an exceptional tea. The older wiser me will be looking out for some higher quality leaf version of this in the coming months.I don’t think dilmah are doing this range any more but my partner may be able to fetch some back iin the Autumn.
Preparation
Once I got used to brewing this and having it black I really enjoyed it. It’s a classic high grown ceylon (at least that’s what I realise now) .Clean clear light flavours and a threat of astringency if you oversteep it.I’m not sure I’d compare it to Darjeeling from the limited experience I have so far. This seems cleaner and clearer but less complex. These high grown ceylons seem like perfect refreshing afternoon teas to me. Crisp ,clean and not overcluttered.
Preparation
I thought it was odd this tea had good tasting reviews because I hated it, but I was probably brewing it wrong. It was really astringent, odd smell and taste. Not at all like the other dilmah teas I’ve had.. any advice? I was using filtered boiled water steeped 2-3 minutes
A nice warming rounded brew,makes a good afternoon tea but really needs to be drank black. Not as refined as the high growns but more warming and less likely to get tannic on you if you over steep it.The leaves are reasonably chunky BOP.I expect they’d need bigger bags if they used bigger pieces!
Preparation
Of the single estate teas I brought back from Sri Lanka this one went first. It’s a low grown but doesn’t have the depth and weight of some of the Ruhunu teas like Lumbini and New Vithekande which I’ve discovered since.At the time I preferred it to the higher grown teas but I’ve since learned that really Lover’s Leap and Mahadagotte are far better drunk black.Would pick this up again if I found a tin.All these dilmah tins are great for storage. The double lids make a very reliable seal.
Preparation
How i got it: Bought it (Dilmah’s Variety Pack)
Experience: This isn’t a very complex tea, but is a nice one, though. Its characteristic aroma is what defines this blend the most: light to mild intensity with floral notes, similar to the ones from a Darjeeling, that nuance the typical Ceylon smell. Flavor-wise, this tea has a medium intensity and a clear, slightly fruity and crisp taste, with notes that go more on the acidic side. Some muscatel and astringency at the end of the cup, and a honey-like aftertaste. Good duration an definition. Quite good
Would i buy it again?: Depending on my mood, yes. This is one candidate to be a permanent guest of my cupboard.
How i got it: Bought it (Dilmah’s Variety Pack)
Experience: Third tea of five in the pack. This Darjeeling is very fragrant, with dominant floral notes and some light citric ones. Taste-wise, is equally intense, having a well defined and lasting flavor marked, as in the aroma, by the floral notes which happen to be similar to a chamomille infusion. It’s a bit difficult to describe it without some references… the only one that comes to mind is a Nepal; in that case, this tea would be a stronger but less sweet version of it. Some muscatel at the end of the sip. Best Darjeeling I’ve tried so long, hands down. Very good.
Would i buy it again?: As I’ve said before, the whole pack is worth buying again
How i got it: Bought it (Dilmah’s Variety Pack)
Experience: I’ve tried this pack in the past, before opening my Steepster account, so I didn’t have a log for them. Let’s change that, then. This EB has an intense aroma, with caramel and slightly acidic notes, and a softer, less intense taste than your usual Breakfast tea. However, it retains the classic bitter-y notes in the middle of the sip that are typical of these blends. More inclined to an Assam than to a Ceylon in my opinion, it has a good duration, and a relatively complex taste with spiced and acidic hints. Medium astringency. Honestly, I expected a bit more, but this is a enjoyable tea -no doubt about it.
Would i buy it again?: My experience with Dilmah is good overall, so I’d say yes.
How i got it: Bought it (Dilmah’s Variety Pack)
Experience: Last tea of five in the pack (I reviewed the fourth tea in the pack, English Afternoon, some time ago. See http://steepster.com/ChrisSen/posts/255673). This Earl Grey is quite aromatic, with a bergamot scent that’s intense, natural and clear, and which doesn’t give much room for the tea to appear. Things are more balanced on the taste side, where the tea’s flavor tends to appear more to the end of the sip. The resulting taste is well defined and lasting, and leaves a little fizzy/muscatel sensation in the aftertaste. I’d say this tea is less balanced that Basilur’s Earl Grey, but compensates with greater body, character and richness. A good Earl Grey.
Would i buy it again?: Yes, few doubts about it.
the jasmine is flavourful but the green tea part is overly strong; perhaps i should have steeped it less than three minutes. i do love the scent of jasmine that meets my nose as i lift the mug to my lips.
Flavors: Bitter, Grass, Hay, Jasmine