The third tea from my curious tea subscription box, guaranteed to be a big hit with me as I LOVE first flush Darjeeling.

As soon as I open the packet there is the typical floral scent characteristic of a Darjeeling. There leaves are tipping and dark as is typical for Darjeelings. I tend to prefer Darjeelings with greener leaves and while there is clearly green in there there is not as much as I tend to like.

The leaves produce a golden brown liquor. With a floral and menthol aroma.

The packaging as always for curious tea is very clear.

Brewing method: 3-4 minutes at 90 degrees.

My brewing method: 5 minutes at 90 degrees

Taste: I have already stated how I tend to prefer greener Darjeelings so did wonder how this would taste I am not a fan of black teas that are too malty and in my experience darker Darjeelings tend to be quite malty. However I was pleasantly surprised. It is not as floral as some of my favourite Darjeelings like Glenburn or Rohini (see my comparison of tea makers of London Darjeelings post for more details) but there is still a distinct floral taste balanced with menthol and a hint of citrus there is a little bit of a malty taste but just enough to be pleasant without being overpowering.

Subsequent infusions: Darjeeling does not resteep as well as Chinese greens, whites, oolongs and pu-erhs do. I only got two mugs of tea out of one teaspoon full of leaves but this is typical of my experience with Darjeelings and not a fault with this particular Darjeeling. As always the second resteeping while still enjoyable to drink was not as good as the first steeping.

Conclusion: Less floral and more mineral like than my favourite Darjeelings yet the balance of the different flavours, the floral with the mineral, the slight malty taste is not overpowering and actually compliments the tea. I would definitely buy this one again in a larger quantity.

Recommended if you like: Darjeeling, Ceylon