Country of Origin: India
Leaf Appearance: jade green, tons of downy buds
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 180 degrees
Preparation Method: ceramic teacup and stainless steel infuser basket
Liquor: pale, greenish
Nilgiri lives in the often overbearing shadows of Assam and Darjeeling but many quality teas are being produced there. The pluck for this Avvata green was very fine with lots of downy buds. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a Chinese white tea! Easy going in the cup, the taste was crisply sweet and vegetal without any astringency. Fruity and floral notes round out to a mellow finish. It resteeped well which made me want to experiment with brewing it in my glass gaiwan. The aromas intensified while maintaining a delicateness that I found really appealing. Call me crazy, but it almost started to taste like Long Jing. There was a cooling affect in that aftertaste that tells me this tea would be great for gongfu’ing on a summer day. I really like that it is Rainforest Alliance Certified. While these certifications don’t always mean a whole lot, they are one of the few indicators that consumers have to go by.
Avaata Supreme Nilgiri Green Tea 1st Flush (Organic) sample provided by Golden Tips Tea.