Tea: Singbulli, Darjeeling Black Tea, First Flush 2014
A Darjeeling First Flush from Happy Earth Tea - 
Organic - 
Fair Trade
| Brand: | Happy Earth Tea |
| Style: | Darjeeling First Flush |
| Region: | Darjeeling, India |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Loose? | Loose |
| # Ratings: | 3 View All |
| Product page: | Singbulli, Darjeeling Black Tea, First Flush 2014 |
Reviewer: Tuirgin
✓ 9 teas reviewed
✓ 2 of Darjeeling First Flush
✓ 3 of Darjeeling Black Tea
✓ 5 of Happy Earth Tea
✓ 3 from Darjeeling, India
✓ 3 from India
Review of Singbulli, Darjeeling Black Tea, First Flush 2014
October 1st, 2014
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 9 of 10 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 90 of 100 |
| Superb | Excellent | Good Value |
This was a very light brew with a bright golden color, and it smelled immediately of mint and other subtle floral and green fragrances. The sense of mint carried into the taste and mouthfeel, and it was never earthy or grassy. Later in the cup, I noticed a bit of the scent of asparagus. It was a really soft, beautiful tea with a gradually building astringency that made the cup very refreshing. The overall sense was an elegant balance of many subtle flavors and aromas that I was never able to tease apart. I loved this tea, and found it fared well through three steepings.
1st steep: 2.5g/6oz@170°F for 3min with 2nd and 3rd steeps at 3:30 and 4:00 respectively.
[Update 2014-10-20: I made a cold brewed tea from this with the original plan of letting it steep for 8 hours. However, I forgot to strain the leaves from it before heading to work and as a result I have a 24-hour steeped tea with a slightly stronger astringency than the tea as I normally brew it. Grassy, herbaceous notes have been brought out, as has been an almost caramel-toned sweetness to the aftertaste. This is very drinkable, but I would like to try it at a 3rd of the total time.]
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Comments:
 | Alex Zorach wrote: on October 1st, 2014 |
Hello and welcome to RateTea, and thank you for your first review!
I also loved this tea. I definitely noticed a minty quality in it, to me it seemed more like wintergreen, and I loved that aspect of this tea. I also found it resteeped well, like most of the high-grade Darjeelings I've tried from Happy Earth Tea.
It's good to have you here! Let me know if you have any questions about the site, or about tea! I look forward to reading more of your reviews!
 | Tuirgin wrote: on October 1st, 2014 |
Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking the past couple weeks after finding Steepster and RateTea. I've gotta say, your reviews are great and have led to me ordering a number of samples from Happy Earth and TeaVivre. Until now I've been mostly a milky-sweet breakfast tea drinker who only occasionally dabbled in Keemun, Oolong, and the occasional Lapsang Souchong with moderate success. I'm really just learning to taste tea. This one -- encouraged by your reviews of the Happy Earth Darjeelings -- inspired me to go ahead and post something.
Thanks again!
