Nepalese Afternoon Tea from Golden Moon Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Golden Moon Tea

Tea Description:

Nepalese Afternoon Tea is grown at the base of Mount Everest in the remote Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. The infused nectar of this tea evokes serene notes of lotus, honey and fragrant sandalwood.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

When I first took a sip of this tea, I was afraid maybe I steeped it wrong or something, because the taste was a little harsh.  But then I sat back, and allowed the tea in my cup to cool for a few moments (about three minutes) and took another sip.  This time the flavor has mellowed, offering a lovely honey-esque sweetness and beautiful floral tones.

The flavor is vaguely reminiscent of a Darjeeling, but it also possesses some nice malty tones as well, like a fine Assam or Nilgiri.  It has a boldness to it, but, like the name of the tea suggests, it isn’t quite as bold as you might want for a morning cup.  This makes a much better afternoon tea for those times when you’re feeling the energy levels dip a bit – this tea will perk you right up!

I can’t get over how remarkably smooth it tastes.  Especially when I consider how the first sip was really quite harsh.  Those few moments of cooling time are essential to this tea – it makes the tea not just “tolerable” but very enjoyable.  I also find that as the tea cools, the lotus notes seem to emerge.  Very nice, indeed!

Jun Chiyabari FTGFOP1 Autumnal Black Tea from Rare Tea Republic

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Rare Tea Republic

Tea Description:

This outstanding selection is rich and flavorful and offers excellent value. Sweet and creamy notes of caramel and Turkish apricot dominate a sweet and smooth liquor.  This is a superb example of the quality achievable by skillful cultivation and manufacture and a fantastic every morning tea.

Jun Chiyabari FTGFOP1 Autumnal was an award winning tea at the North American Tea Championship.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This is an outstanding tea!  But then, I’ve come to expect nothing less from Rare Tea Republic.  Every tea that I’ve tried from them thus far has been nothing less than stellar.

I never tried a Turkish apricot, but, this tea does have a certain fruity note to it that is similar to an apricot or a peach.  It is sweet and luscious!   The above description also suggests notes of caramel, and I’m tasting that too.  However, the caramel tones here are different than ones I might experience in another black or even a pu-erh tea.  This tea has a lighter body, and the caramel tones are not a heavy, “thick” kind of caramel taste, but instead, it tastes like hints of caramelized fruit:  a sweet, light, vibrant taste that delights the palate!

This tea has many similarities to what I’ve come to know as Darjeeling-esque qualities, but, it doesn’t have that muscatel note.  This does have the light crispness of a Darjeeling, however, and a similar dry note toward the end of the sip.  The aftertaste is sweet and slightly fruit-like.

Overall, I found this to be a remarkably refreshing and delicious tea, one that I think should be on the MUST TRY list of every tea aficionado!