Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Udyan Tea
Tea Description:
Rohini has been planted with special green tea clones which have very less *tannin content in them. The teas made from these bushes taste smooth and sweet, with pronounced vegetable flavour. They aren’t bitter unlike their counterparts from the district. Rohini Emerald Green Tea is made from single leaf and a bud.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Rohini Emerald Green Tea from Udyan Tea tastes a little different. When I took my first few sips of the tea, I thought maybe I didn’t steep it long enough or maybe the water wasn’t hot enough, but then I took a moment to read the above description. This tea is grown from clone plants that have less tannin content.
Still a green tea, of course, and still a really lovely tasting tea!
It’s really smooth and pleasantly sweet. The flavor is more delicate than the average green tea and since the tannin content is lower, you can go ahead and steep it a little longer to enhance the flavor if you’d like to. I went ahead and steeped the tea for 2 1/2 minutes in 180°F water and I’m quite satisfied with the result. It’s still delicate, but not quite as delicate as my first cup of this tea, which I steeped at 1 1/2 minutes which is my usual go-to for a pure green. The extra minute intensified the flavor a little, but the tea is still not bitter or astringent.
There is a pleasant vegetative taste to this that reminds me a bit of corn with just a hint of a grassy note. There is a very light creamy/buttery taste to it and a soft, silky texture. It’s quite refreshing to drink, even as a hot beverage. I found that I preferred this one hot, because as the tea cooled some of the flavor softened and because this tea is on the delicate side anyway, you’re going to get the most flavor out of it if you drink it hot.
This is one I’d recommend checking out. And while you’re perusing the Udyan Tea website, keep in mind that the default setting for the pricing is in Indian Rupees. You can adjust the currency setting at the top of the screen in the center.
Arya Emerald Darjeeling Green Tea from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
A good value green tea from Arya Tea Estate which is known for its high quality of produce. This tea bears the rich satisfying flavor of Darjeeling; nothing like the bitter green teas out there.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I think “Darjeeling” – whether it is a black, or a green, or even a white or Oolong Darjeeling – one word comes to mind … MUSCATEL! I love that sweet, wine-y, grape-y, slightly woodsy, earthy note that is so uniquely muscatel.
So, when I come across a Darjeeling – again, no matter what type of leaf it may be – I find myself expecting a muscatel tone to the flavor profile. And when I don’t experience muscatel, I am a little disappointed.
And so it is with this tea.
The truth is, not all Darjeeling teas possess that muscatel note. There are some very delicious Darjeeling teas that do not. I shouldn’t expect muscatel from every Darjeeling and I shouldn’t be disappointed by a Darjeeling that doesn’t offer that flavor. But, I love muscatel, so I can’t help but want it whenever I come across a Darjeeling.
This is NOT a bad green Darjeeling, not at all! In fact, it’s really quite lovely. But, it does not have the muscatel tone that I desired, either. This is much more reminiscent of a Dragon Well or perhaps even a buttery Chinese Sencha. It tastes much more like a Chinese green tea than an Indian green tea, although I must admit that my experience with Indian green teas is a bit more limited than with Chinese.
This is tasty, very much so. It is sweet, it has a creamy texture to it, very smooth and there is very little astringency. Absolutely no bitterness. Hints of grass and vegetative tones, and I even taste a slight fruitiness to this … citrus-y with a hint of peach. It’s a very pleasant tea to sip.
There’s just no muscatel.