Vahdam Teas

After all the hyper exxy pu, it is hard to believe this darj was a mere 3 cents per gram. Gave it the gongfu treatment for comparison’s sake. The fragrance is still beautiful. Dried stone fruits. Leaves not fully intact but rehydrate into large chunks. It is mixed with a great deal of dust, so use a very fine filter or teabag. I have been hearing so much hatred against all darj lately, but this tea is not so terrible, especially for this price. I am skeptical it is really organic and the grade labeled on the bag – FTGFOP1. But it is absolutely drinkable. Smells great. Tastes all right. I don’t see the problem besides possible vendor dishonesty.

Magnificent. I love Gopaldhara teas. The 2018 first flush was a favorite of mine, and now so is the second flush. This one drinks like a dark red wine with prominent notes of mature dark grapes, which combines with a woody autumn leaf quality reminiscent of a nice Dian Hong black tea.

357/365

The last of the Vahdam Chai sampler! I’m glad I tried this, since it allowed me to try a lot of combinations I probably wouldn’t have come across otherwise…and maybe wouldn’t have chosen all that readily if I did! I didn’t save this one until last purposefully, but I remember trying another saffron based blend from this sampler and really enjoying it, so it’s a nice way to round things off.

Like many of the blends, this one has a black CTC base. My feelings about that generally are well documented, but they work pretty well so I can’t complain too much. No exception here – the base is just that – a base – and the spices really shine. This particular blend contains cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, and almonds – the saffron isn’t really a flavour as such, but it absolutely has an influence. It’s a texture, more than anything – the closest I can get in descriptive terms is smooth, maybe a little honeyed. It’s undeniably saffron, even though it’s a really difficult flavour to pin down. Otherwise, the main flavour is cardamom, closely followed by cinnamon. The clove is really subtle, but that works for me! The almond is just about there in the aftertaste, but I feel I have to concentrate to pick it out. Really, this is all about the saffron!

I enjoyed this thoroughly, and I’ll happily finish up the rest of my sample. It’s one I’d consider repurchasing, especially when the weather gets colder!

This is the second tea that Arby won and had Vahdam send over to an American because apparently they weren’t shipping contest winnings to Canada. Thanks so much Arby! This blend seems thoroughly complicated with green teas mixed with 21 medicinal and exotic Himalayan herbs. Whoa. So exotic I can’t find some of them on wiki. Looking up some of the ingredients is interesting. What the heck is ‘Sund’? Or ’ Badian-I-Khatai ‘? But I was definitely willing to try it and it sounded pretty delicious… and healthy. The blend itself looks like many many fine particles… dusty even. But maybe this will ensure that all 21 herbs will make it into each cup…. or the flavor could be different each time depending on what makes it into the infuser! The flavor is certainly different than other blends I’ve had, but how couldn’t it? Though it does remind me of the MoxTea Viking blend I have. The flavor tastes mostly like a light green tea, slightly sweet and spicy, but I have no idea what many of these herbs would taste like anyway. The flavor is in no way too vegetal which is surprising. The only ingredient I can definitely taste in there is the licorice. The second steep, the ingredients seem to meld together even more, with a stronger yet smoother brew. This blend might have a calming effect which is good (or it’s Massive Attack’s 100th Window I’m listening to at the moment). The last few days have been harsh, so any calming effect this tea might have is awesome.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 35 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 28 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

353/365

Fennel! I love fennel. More than life. I don’t even need the chai, just…fennel. Fennel is love. This is another CTC black base, with FENNEL! and clove, cardamom, black pepper, etc. All the usual suspects. It’s deliciously anissedy, as you might expect, but the cardamon and pepper are a nice – less sweet – counterpoint. I like that this is a slightly more unusual chai blend – I found a few from this sampler a little samey, but this one’s on the more unique side. Not quite as unique as some have been, but all for the good! Fennel’s not a stranger to chai, but it’s more prominent here than it usually would be, and I can definitely get behind that. If you like fennel, and you like chai, you probably need to try this one. It’s epic.

So Arby won a Vahdam contest for free teas, but for some reason they weren’t shipping to Canada so Arby had Vahdam send them my way. Thanks so much for thinking of me, Arby! (And again, sorry they weren’t shipping to Canada.) I will also be adding a large amount of these teas to the teabox, to share the wealth. The teas were random teas that Vahdam chose and they sent this one and for some reason, two packages of Ayurvedic Rose Herbal Green. Luckily I will probably be a fan of both teas. I do like smoky teas and this one had the added interest of being an assam. I’m not sure if I’ve ever knowingly had a smoky assam. But it seems like it would be a good pairing. This is a good one. The leaves are very long and mostly black. Not one of those tiny leaf assams, which hey, I probably like the big leaf and small leaf assams for different reasons. I like ALL THE TEAS. Sometimes a tea company can have an off putting smoke flavor and scare most tea fans away from smoky teas for good. For example, my rating for Twinings Lapsang Souchong was a SIX. It was disgusting. I rarely rate teas so low. This tea has a delicious smoky flavor, it’s a bit sweet and like barbeque sauce. And an interesting addition to the lovely assam flavor. It is a unique flavor combination, which somehow I probably don’t already have in my tea cupboard. Since the leaves are bigger, the flavor is lighter but has definite hints of a usual assam flavor. This is a great base tea for the smoke, and both the smoke and base are elevated by each other. I like it! If you don’t like this smoky tea you might not like them in general. But the more teas you try, the better!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 15 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // couple minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep

351/365

As the name suggests, this is a pretty straightforward, traditional chai blend. It’s a CTC black base again, which is fine as far as it goes, with cardamom, cinnamon, clove & black pepper. It’s very similar to Vahdam’s Double Spice, except that cinnamon is substituted for ginger. On the whole, that’s a substitution I’m perfectly happy with! It’s pretty spicy; there’s a lot of clove, which isn’t my favourite thing in a chai, and an almost tongue-numbing quantity of cardamom. I can’t taste much of the pepper, but the cinnamon adds an edge of sweetness that helps to lift the overall flavour.

I don’t feel this one is quite as well balanced as Double Spice – that one ticked a lot of boxes for me. This one’s a little heavy on some things (clove, cardamom) and a little light on others (pepper, cinnamon), but the overall effect is nice enough. I just made a western style cup with milk, but it might work better as a latte – I imagine it would be a little more muted that way, and maybe not quite so…intense? That might help. Fortunately, I have a little more leaf to play with!

If you like a traditional chai, this is one you probably ought to try (this one or Double Spice, anyway!) I’ve said before that I’m not sold on the CTC base, but I have to admit that it works well in context, and it provides a pleasantly solid, malty backbone for the real stars – the spices – to play against. It’s not the perfect blend for me, but definitely worth a look.

348/365

This one sounds like your average chai – cardamom, clove, ginger & black pepper. It’s on a CTC black base, which seems to be the modus operandi for Vahdam. I’m not a fan of it myself, really, but I can see that it creates a base sturdy enough to stand up to heavy spicing. It’s also fairly nondescript, which I suppose makes sense when the spices are supposed to be the star.

This one is nicely spicy, but I could still stand stronger. I don’t think I’ve found a chai yet that quite meets my expectations in that regard. There’s a nice balance of spices here, though – I can taste the cardamom, clove, ginger and (hallelujah!) black pepper – each clear and distinct. I don’t mind the base, although admittedly I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. It’s just there – and that’s my point. It’s not a distraction from the spices, which are allowed to shine. Maybe that’s how it should be.

I like this one. It’s the first chai I’ve drank in a while where I’ve been able to taste the black pepper, and I love that. It’s also one of the more memorable teas from Vahdam’s chai sampler, and that’s saying something because there have been some memories!

Described as having “clean notes of charred greens, burnt wood, and tobacco” – I won’t argue with that, but I also find hints of tropical fruit and smoke. There is a grape leaf aroma.

343/365

Another from the chai sampler, and still plenty to go! This one called to me today, and I can understand why since it’s pretty cold and I rather like cinnamon! The two seem to go together. It’s another with a CTC base; I’m beginning to suspect that most of them are, but I’m okay with that on the whole. I like my chai strong, and CTC definitely helps with that. I added milk to this one, although I don’t always. Call me odd.

In practice, I didn’t get a lot of cinnamon from this one – or at least, not as much as I was perhaps expecting. What I did get was cardamom, and lots of it. There is some cinnamon, but it comes across almost flat tasting, somehow. It’s hard to describe exactly, but it almost tasted slightly stale? Like it had been open too long, and the cinnamon had faded, or gone slightly fusty? I bought these fairly recently, but obviously I don’t know how long they were stored prior to that – most of the teas I’ve had from Vahdam have been fine, though, so I don’t think it’s a storage or age issue. Maybe this one’s just not for me? It happens.

I could perhaps pep this up a little by adding some extra cinnamon, but I feel I shouldn’t really have to do that. I’ll give it more of a chance before I write it off completely, but so far (and so sadly…) this one’s not a favourite.

The description from Vahdam Teas is on the mark. This tea is pretty complex, and I wouldn’t brew it for any longer than 3 minutes to avoid becoming overly astringent. Maybe a little too far on the grassy side for my taste, but the distinct properties of black tea are still there.

339/365

…and another from the Chai sampler! This is one I’ve been looking forward to, since Assam is one of my favourite black teas and I like a Chai with a decently strong base. I was pleased to see this one wasn’t a CTC; it seems truer to the spirit of Assam that way! This one’s a fairly simple chai blend, with just cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and black pepper.

I like this one, as I knew I would, although it’s a little heavier on the clove than I’d hoped. There’s also rather a lot of cardamom, although I don’t mind that so much. The cinnamon pulls it back, though, and the pepper! I love a chai with lots of black pepper, and this one ticks that box without question.

It’s straightforward and classic, no kookiness here! It also means it’s not particularly unique, but there’s room for that. A solid chai in autumn is never a bad thing!

332/365

This is one of the more straightforward blends from the Vadham chai sampler; for some reason, I seem to have saved those until last! I quite like cardamom, so this should be okay.

Like some of the other blends from the sampler, this one has a CTC base, with lots of whole and crushed cardamom pods. As you might expect, it brews up really quickly. I’d say it definitely needs milk.

To taste, it’s significantly smoother than I expected, although that’s probably mostly a result of my own prejudices – not all CTCs are equal, after all. Some are more equal than others, and this is one of them.

Did it just get a little Orwellian around here? Just me, maybe.

The cardamom is very prominent, also as you might expect. It strikes a nice balance, though, and isn’t too harsh. The base tea is nicer than I expected; malty and fairly sweet. I expected it to be on the tannic side, maybe even verging on bitter/astringent, but it’s none of those things desipte the fact that I left it at least four minutes because I got distracted. By work, of all things.

The cardamom pretty much overpowers any other spices, but if you like cardamom then that’s going to be okay – and you probably wouldn’t have bought this blend if you didn’t. The overall flavour isn’t what I think of as chai, but it’s a solid cardamom flavoured black. There are worse things in the world.

229/365

Another from the Vahdam chai sampler. This one’s a green base, with cardamom, cinnamon, almond, and saffron. To taste, it’s deliciously sweet and smooth. There’s definitely lots of saffron! It’s also quite nutty, and slightly creamy in the way almond can be when it’s good. It’s mildly spicy, but there’s not much in the way of cardamom or cinnamon. This is mostly about the almond and saffron.

I like this one. It’s kind of unusual amongst the teas I drink, and I don’t feel like I’ve tried that many green-based chai blends in the past. The green tea works pretty well – it’s a little grassy, but subtle and unobtrusive. It allows the flavours to shine, and I think that’s pretty important when it comes to chai. I’m going to say that I prefer black tea as a base for chai on balance, but that’s mainly personal preference. I’ll have no problem finishing up my sample.

Two 100s in a week for me, LOL. Happy to have discovered first flush darjeelings on my first order from Vahdam Teas. I’ve had second flush darjeeling and I like it, but first flush is even better I think. May have another 100 on the way when I get around to reviewing the autumn flush darjeeling from the same order. That one is special, too. Love me some darjeelings. Guess I need to tighten up my rating system, though.

Not entirely bad, but won’t buy again. Tea was sticking in large clumps when I opened package. Creates a cloudy brew somewhere between green and orange in color. Lots of sediment at the bottom of the pot, which I believe may be powder from the nuts. Tasted better than it looks. Not quite as aromatic as I remember other rose black teas, but has a nice aroma. I was hoping the pistachios would have more of a presence. The pistachios and almonds are there, but mostly they serve to dial back the floral aspects from the rose. The spices are a nice touch and add to the complexity.

I think I’ll finish the rest of this off by making a lot of iced tea.

327/365

Another from the chai sampler! Some of these combinations strike me as being partiularly odd, and this one’s no exception. In practice, though, it works better than I thought it would.

It’s kinda herby – much more tulsi than chai. If you don’t like tulsi, this is definitely isn’t the blend for you! There’s only a very small amount of CTC black amongst the other ingredients (primarily tulsi, but also some spices – cardamon pods, the odd clove, and a lot of powdered spices). Of the spices, the cardamon is most prominent, which works for me since I quite like cardamon in general. I’m not a huge fan of ginger or clove, but they don’t come across too heavy handed here, which is nice.

It occurred to me while I was drinking this one that it’s more refreshing than I expected. I like it – lots more than I anticipated. It’s always nice to be surprised!

320/365

From the chai sampler, which I’ve been keeping since the summer in anticipation of the colder weather. Definitely the right decision! I’ve never had an EG Chai before, and it honestly seems like an interesting concept. They’re not two things I’ve have put together, so I guess we’ll see how that goes.

As it turns out, this is a CTC base, so I kept the brew time short. In flavour terms, it’s mostly chai (composed of cardamon, cinnamon, clove, and black pepper). The cardamon is most prominent, followed by the cinnamon. There’s not much clove, and really no pepper to speak of (which is a shame, because I love pepper, especially in chai). The bergamot is there in the background to begin with, but gains prominence with successive sips. It’s an odd combination, but not unpleasant.

In practice, the CTC base is a little brisk but also quite malty. It works well with the Chai and the EG flavourings, so no complaints there really. I found this an intriguing and unusual blend, and I’d definitely drink it again. I have high hopes for the rest of the sampler now!

Okay tea. Dry tea leaves are attractive and large, with shades of silver, white, and gray. The appearance makes evident that the tea was processed in a quality fashion. Weak floral aroma. Makes a reddish brew. Taste has mineral, peppery, and perhaps some woody qualities. I do not discern fruit or floral hints at all. Does not linger long or build, which are qualities I prefer. At the current price of $16.99/50g, I don’t think I would purchase this again.

This may be my favorite tea so far. A great find if you are looking for an excellent lighter black tea or darker oolong without paying much of premium. At 5.49/100g, this one is a steal. I love how the light darjeeling-style fruity notes give way to a little wood and a faint “golden monkey” bottom that lingers and builds. I haven’t very much liked any of the golden monkey teas that I have tried in the past, but this tea definitely brings them to mind between sips – this time around it is not unwelcome. Love how this tea sits with you for a while and creates a nice build.

Heavenly Aroma – The scent of the dry leaves is incredible! This tea is closer to a 2nd flush black darjeeling type flavor, and has great depth. I found this for $14.99/100 grams at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K78VZE4?pf_rd_p=d1f45e03-8b73-4c9a-9beb-4819111bef9a&pf_rd_r=EM6C0BS8ABVG84TKMXKY, and I am so glad I ordered this one. It has notes of rose, deep muscatel grapes, and a grapefruit finish. Darjeeling oolong is definitely not a bad idea. I will be trying some more Vahdam teas, for sure.

Had this hot a few days ago with a little bit of honey.

Kind of an interesting cup; it’s got some malt to it and a pretty distinct muscatel/raisin sort of taste but a lot of the profile are notes that could easily be ascribed to a green tea; a grassy finish, some astringency/bite, and a smokey quality. Really, it sort of feels like it’s very carefully treading that line between green and black. Honey was a good choice though; it helped with the astringency and fleeting notes of bitterness.

Summer Vacation! I had a pretty bad experience with darjeeling yesterday, but one cuppa isn’t enough to turn me away from a tea! So tonight I grabbed the other two darjeelings (the only other two in my collection, I believe) to sample to try to get a better general idea of the taste, because I’m hoping I can get these to brew up less bitter. Both of these teas were graciously made available to me from the Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox, so thanks so much to tea-sipper for organizing and all those that contributed teas to the box! Otherwise I wouldn’t even have the opportunity to get to try some more darjeeling teas, so I really appreciate it!

Both of these teas are from the Arya Estate, and one is a first flush and one is a second flush (and me knowing nothing about these kind of teas, I honestly don’t even know much about the difference, so it’ll be interesting to sample both). Since I mistakening grabbed the second flush, first, first up is the second flush Arya darjeeling. The dry leaf has a maltier black tea scent to me than the darjeeling I drank from T2 last night, and also smells just a little peppery.

I had a single serving sample, and this time I weighed the leaf to ratio out the water accordingly (I still don’t know why I blindly trusted T2s directions on the outside of their sampler packet instead of doing that last night, honestly). The brewed cup has a lovely honeyed-orange color, and the aroma is a very malty aroma with a honeyed sweetness to it. The first sip and I’m already so pleased to not taste any bitterness; it’s very smooth! The first flavor note that really strikes me is a very pleasant orange rind/marmalade flavor, with some additional notes of malt, honey, and some subtle autumn leaf vegetal notes near the finish.

This is a very different experience from the cup I had yesterday. Very pleasant, with lots of fruity and sweet notes, and lacking the harshness and astringency. I really enjoy this!