I recently became a Republic of Tea citizen when I picked up a few loose leaf samples, including Castleton Darjeeling, on a recent trip to the bulk tea section of Central Market. This would be my first attempt at loose leaf Darjeeling.
You often hear the word muscatel — a reference to the muscat grape variety used in sparkling wine — used to describe Darjeeling tea, and I understand why. This tea certainly exhibits a champagne characteristic as it dances on the tongue, but there’s more.
The first thing I noticed after brewing (and before sipping) is a pungent orange aroma — sweet, citrusy and bitter. The flavor is sweet and slightly bitter with the champagne characteristic mentioned earlier. A big surprise for me was the sweet taste that lingered on my tongue.
Darjeeling tea … I think I get it.
| Aroma: | Sweet, citrusy, orange marmalade |
|---|---|
| Body: | Medium |
| Flavor: | Sweet, slightly bitter, lingering |
| Color: | Orange |
