I think this is an average to above-average, if a bit unmemorable, darjeeling.

Steeping the tea the traditional way using DAVIDsTEA's instructions gives a pretty bold mouthfeel. It is quite astringent, with good body, and little bitterness. The aroma is quite pleasant and very much like a darjeeling, earthy with sweet muscatel notes. However, I find it to be a bit weak and always wish it were more intense to match the body and astringency. Using more leaves or steeping longer would only result in a more astringent brew that I don't favor.

To experiment, I also tried brewing this the gongfu cha way, and steeped for around 15 sec. It's obviously not traditional, but I actually found it quite a bit more interesting. For the first 3-4 steeps, I thought the bright, floral, muscatel flavor was quite prominent, and not muddled as I find happens with the traditional steep. The body is much lighter this way, with no bitterness, but there is still quite the astringency, a tad more than what I'd prefer, but its what I expected for this kind of tea. The flavor carries over for more steepings (I did it for around 8 times), and later ones have less bright flavor, and more of a comforting earthy flavor thats more reminiscent of cheap darjeeling tea, without the bitterness.

I think the price is very reasonable for what you get. However, I can't see myself buying this often, especially if I were steeping the traditional way.

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Comments:

Alex Zorach wrote: on September 15th, 2014

Hello and welcome to RateTea, and thank you for your first review!

I have tried a number of Darjeeling teas that have the characteristics you describe--they seem weak relative to the amount of body and astringency. I think it's one of the most frequent reasons that I am disappointed with some Darjeelings. DAVIDsTEA doesn't identify an estate or tea garden for this one, so it may be a lower-quality blend of teas from different estates.

I tend to like first flush more than second, but if you want recommendations of second flush, I've had excellent second-flush from Makaibari, Sungma, Tumsong, and Dooteriah estates. Teas from Makaibari and Sugma are available from a number of different companies.

Let me know if you have any questions about tea, or about the site! It's good to have you here!

AnMaikul wrote: on September 20th, 2014

Thanks for the welcoming comments Alex! It's great to find a comprehensive site where we can share our thoughts about the teas we try, to read up on what else is out there, and what other people like. I've been drinking tea for quite some time but I havent delved into the different types much and want to expand my knowledge. This tea from davidstea was actually my first attempt to try a decent black tea (I drink mostly greens, some oolong). I'll definitely try some of the second flush darjeelings from the estates you suggested. Your reviews on those teas are so informative!

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