Golden Tips Tea Thurbo Moonlight 2nd Flush Darjeeling 2014
Country of Origin: India Leaf Appearance: large, varied greens and browns Ingredients: black tea Steep time: 5 minutes Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: Teavana Perfect Tea Maker Liquor: amber The first thing that I noticed when brewing this tea was how pretty the leaves looked as they danced in the water. They were large and mostly whole, especially for a Darjeeling, with lots of visible buds. The amber liquor was equally beautiful. Although it was full bodied this tea was surprisingly smooth. There were sweet fruity and floral notes along with a peachy undertone. My second infusion was just as enjoyable as the first. There was no bitterness to speak of in…
Golden Tips Teas Avaata Supreme Nilgiri Green Tea 1st Flush (Organic)
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…
Golden Tips Teas Okayti Silver Needle Darjeeling White Tea Second Flush (Organic) 2014
Country of Origin: India Leaf Appearance: small, covered in silvery hair Ingredients: white tea Steep time: 5 minutes Water Temperature: 195 degrees Preparation Method: Teavana Perfect Tea Maker Liquor: gold Some of you might remember that I reviewed a Muscatel Darjeeling, also from Okati, from +Golden Tips Tea Co Pvt Ltd late last year. I’ve always enjoyed Darjeeling white teas so I was excited to dig into this one. The taste almost reminded me of dry white wine. It was fruity and sweet but had a refreshing crispness to it. Floral notes provided a soft background that came more to the forefront in the second infusion. I tend to brew my white teas loose in…
Golden Tips Tea Halmari Gold Assam Black Tea Second Flush 2014
Country of Origin: India Leaf Appearance: small, twisted with lots of golden tips Ingredients: black tea Steep time: 5 minutes Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: Teavana Perfect Teamaker Liquor: amber This tea has got to be the prettiest Assam that I’ve ever seen. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that it was from Fujian. The taste was full bodied and complex with a bright, refreshing astringency. It had the maltiness that Assam black teas are known for along with notes of fruit and dark chocolate. It’s on the pricey side but definitely worth the try if you are a fan of teas from this region. It could probably take milk…
Golden Tips Teas Arya Ruby Darjeeling 2nd Flush
Country of Origin: India Leaf Appearance: small, dark with some golden tips Ingredients: black tea Steep time: 5 minutes Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: ceramic teacup and mesh infuser Liquor: amber I receive a lot of tea samples but I think +Golden Tips Tea Co Pvt Ltd may have won the prize for most unusual package. The usual cardboard box was covered in fabric with red wax seals on all of the corners. The addresses had been handwritten on the fabric with marker. My mother couldn’t believe that the post office even delivered it but I thought it was pretty neat. In hindsight, I really should have snapped a picture to share with you all. Arya…
Golden Tips Teas Okayti Muscatel Darjeeling
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…
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