Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Tea Description:
One of the Arya Estate’s acclaimed ‘Jewel’ teas. The Diamond delivers the bright, beautifully balanced muscatel flavours of one of the most sought after teas in the world. The dark, twisted tea leaves have streaks of gold and fuzzy silver tips. When infused, the tea is smooth and rounded with a long, sweet aftertaste that evokes dried fruits and nuts.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I received a sample of this Organic Arya Diamond Second Flush Darjeeling Tea from Canton Tea Co., I knew I was in for a treat. I have been very impressed with the quality of teas that I’ve tried thus far from the Arya estate, in fact, I might go so far as to say that they’re one of my very favorite Darjeeling estates.
So, I had high expectations going into this tea and it did not let me down! This is excellent!
As I’ve said on more than one occasion, second flush are my favorite when it comes to Darjeeling. I love that muscatel flavor from the second flush and that’s something that you don’t often find (occasionally you do but it’s rare) in a first flush.
This is nice and smooth. It has a nicely round flavor. The muscatel notes are sweet and grape-like. The finish is smooth with very little astringency. The aftertaste is sweet and fruity. The above description suggested a nut-like flavor, but I didn’t really get anything that tasted nutty to me. Instead, I just got a really enjoyable fruit taste that reminded me a bit of a sweet wine. The cup disappeared before I could finish the review! That’s always a sign to me that the tea is seriously good!
Diamond Jubilee from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
This special edition tea has been created in celebration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee (1952-2012) and her accession to the throne 60 years ago.
The tea is a bespoke blend which includes the Queen’s favourite, earl grey tea, plus black teas, lemony bergamot and grapefruit essences.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve wanted to try this tea since it was released last year … and thanks to an online friend sending me a couple of sachets of this tea, I’m finally able to do just that!
I’m really liking this. I am not usually a big fan of Harney’s bagged teas, but, this one is nice, which leads me to believe that the loose leaf will be even better.
The flavors of bergamot and grapefruit mingle together very nicely to create a bright, citrus-y tone that is on the tart side, but I don’t find the tartness here to be off-putting the way I might normally … somehow it just works with the rich flavor of black tea to create a taste that is very satisfying. It tastes very deep and complex, with earthy notes and hints of malt and floral notes that accent the fruit tones nicely. And in return, the sunny citrus notes lighten up the tea just enough to keep the palate from feeling inundated. The many facets of this tea come together in a really lovely way.
And what is actually impressing me the most here is that I am enjoying it as much as I do, and it is a bagged tea. And as I said above, I can only imagine how much more I will love the loose leaf. I will have to remember to add some of the loose leaf in my cart the next time I’m shopping with Harney & Sons!