Happy Earth Tea Turzum Organic Darjeeling, Second Flush 2013

Country of Origin: India
Leaf Appearance: wiry, dark with some silvery tips
Ingredients: black tea
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: reddish brown

Last year I reviewed and very much enjoyed an oolong from the Turzum Estate so I was really excited to try a traditionally styled Darjeeling from there. This tea is graded SFTGFOP1 (Super Fine Tippy Golden Flower Orange Pekoe 1) so the leaves were fairly large and mostly whole. The classic muscatel taste that you would expect from a Darjeeling was present but it was also rounded out by a strong apricot character that lingered long after each sip. It also had a floral element that stayed mostly in the background. The mouth-feel was somewhat thick with just the right amount of astringency. It was crisp yet medium bodied so milk and sugar would not be necessary. +Happy Earth Tea has definitely become one of my go-to’s when it comes to Darjeeling, although they do have other kinds of tea too! I love that they offer sample sizes. It really helps to be able to taste the tea before making a big commitment.

Turzum Organic Darjeeling sample provided by Happy Earth Tea.