A very light first flush Darjeeling with a unique character.

A present brought back from Germany, does not look like it's available in the U.S. I found this tea fascinating, as it's an example of a "holiday-themed" tea that is a single-estate pure tea of a high grade, and I normally associate "holiday teas" with flavored teas or blends of low quality.

This tea, remarkably, does seem to embody the festive character of the holidays, at least in a flavor aesthetic that I associate with it, more than most First Flush Darjeeling would. I tend to think of Darjeeling First Flush as a more springy / summery tea, because it's freshest then and that's usually when I drink the most of it, but this one hit the spot.

Aroma is fruity, but a little less overwhelmingly like muscatel grape, and instead a little more like candied citrus, which I do find evokes the holidays. There's also a suggestion of sugar cookies or gingerbread. Besides that I also detect notes of sweet rice or porridge, and a minty finish, suggesting wintergreen or possibly peppermint.

One thing I didn't like as much about this tea, was that it seemed to have a narrow range of temperatures in which it tasted best. I liked it better hot, but after it had cooled slightly. It didn't taste good cold.

I was able to brew a second cup, but I like the first cup better.

Interesting, and definitely my favorite holiday-themed tea yet. The price (in Euros, with the current exchange rate) is excellent, works out to be under $10 for more than a quarter pound, an excellent price for tea of this grade.

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