Tea: Giddapahar Muscatel Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush
A Darjeeling Second Flush from Golden Tips
| Brand: | Golden Tips |
| Style: | Darjeeling Second Flush |
| Region: | Darjeeling, India |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Loose? | Loose |
| # Ratings: | 1 View All |
| Product page: | Giddapahar Muscatel Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1448 teas reviewed
✓ 11 of Darjeeling Second Flush
✓ 66 of Darjeeling Black Tea
✓ 10 of Golden Tips
✓ 78 from Darjeeling, India
✓ 206 from India
Review of Giddapahar Muscatel Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush
February 17th, 2015
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 8 of 10 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 83 of 100 |
| Excellent | Excellent | Good Value |
A very pleasant tea, quite dark for a Darjeeling, and with a pleasant astringency.
The dry leaf is dark and smells fruity, suggesting sweetness, and also very malty.
Brews up a dark cup, even for a second-flush Darjeeling. Aroma is strongly fruity. For having the name Muscatel though, this tea isn't among the teas I've sampled with the strongest muscat aroma. It's also malty for a Darjeeling, and there's an edgy quality, a pleasant astringency, hinting at the sharpness of an Assam but more muted.
Most of the other teas from Golden Tips I found tasted best when hot, but I found that this one tasted better as it cooled a bit. I'm not going to try this, because it's winter, but I can see this one making an outstanding iced tea.
Easily makes two infusions, three if you can handle a bit of a weaker, thinner cup. I preferred using a little more leaf than I normally would, more than one teaspoon per cup, and brewing one 3-minute cup, followed by a second, very long steep.
Good price too for a tea of this quality! This would be a contender for one of my favorite Darjeeling second flush teas of all time.
