Received this a freebie with one of my many What-Cha orders over the summer. Thank you.
November 2017 harvest. I prepared this sample western style, using 1.5 tsp to 6oz of 205F water, 2 steeps at 3 and 5 minutes. I regret not having the time to sit down with this tea because it is certainly worthy of contemplation. Its subtleties were beyond my abilities and time. I can say, though, that it was incredibly enjoyable. I remember tastes of malt, almond, brown toast, mace, muscatel, black raisin, black cherry, orange blossom, lemon oil and cocoa, but I couldn’t tell you which were the most prominent of point out the handful of other fleeting flavors that were present. The light- to medium-bodied liquor was refined and smooth, a little sweet with no astringency or bitterness. Warming with a slight spicy bite. It has a lot of similarities to the Gopaldhara 2nd Flush China Muscatel Gold I polished off recently, but I think the additions of black cherry and a clear, bright lemon oil to the flavor profile really nailed this one home for me.
I have a lot of black teas to work my way through over the coming months, but if this darjeeling is still available when I’m ready, I’ll definitely be purchasing a larger quantity to spend some time with.
