I loved this one.

No picture of this because unfortunately it was removed from Harney's catalogue before I posted my review.

The dry leaf of this smells wonderful, and unexpected. It smells more like an autumnal flush tea, with more malty notes and a sort of soft, rich, caramel smell. There are floral and caramel notes and a hint of spice. Overall it smells exquisite, the smell was so "busy" that I found I actually had to turn off the music I was listening to, to smell it fully, because it produced a sort of sensory overload, and I wanted to fully appreciate the tea.

It smells fresh, pungent, and there is a slight skunky note, a hint of cinnamon. I could go on and on about how this tea smells before even brewing it. The leaf also looks very interesting, it's quite spread out, into thin, crinkled leaves that are not all fully rolled.

When I brew this, the cup, which is very clear, smells edgier and more pungent than the dry leaf. I notice asparagus, and a strong fruity quality (mostly grape).

For how busy the aroma is, the flavor is surprisingly mild and subdued, and the mouthfeel surprisingly watery. Very low astringency, and not much bitterness or sourness.

A lot of high-grade Darjeelings, even if they smell wonderful, sometimes make me feel a bit on edge, almost like they're too caffeinated. This one wasn't quite as overbearing, in spite of how intense the aroma was. I really liked it. I found that, although the smell and taste of this wasn't my favorite of favorites among Darjeelings, it was still up there, and this was one of my favorite Darjeelings in terms of how it made me feel after drinking it.

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