Country of Origin: India
Leaf Appearance: small, dark and somewhat twisted
Ingredients: black tea
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 195 degrees
Preparation Method: Teavana Perfect Steeper
Liquor: dark amber
I can’t put my finger on the reason why but Darjeeling will always be a soft spot for me. I was excited to dig into this sample because I have never tried anything from +Golden Tips Tea Co Pvt Ltd or from the Okayti Estate. I found that a bit strange given my love affair with the region and the fact that their website states it is one of the largest estates. The grade for this is FTGFOP1, so Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. The taste was fairly straight forward. There were fruity and floral and floral notes and just the right amount of astringency. It wasn’t quite muscatel but there was a certain grapiness. Although this is a second flush tea, I don’t think it was bold enough to stand up to milk and sugar. Personally, I consider this to be a very good thing. I’d much a rather a smooth, self drinking cup of tea. I love that Golden Tips lists the exact date that the tea was harvested as well as the invoice number. This makes it a lot easier for consumers to compare to their past experiences.
Okayti Muscatel Darjeeling sample provided by Golden Tips Teas.