Darjeeling Black Tea

36
Percentile
6 ratings
Picture of Darjeeling Black Tea
Brand:Bigelow Tea
Style:Darjeeling Black Tea
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Region:Darjeeling, India
Loose/teabag:Teabag
Product page:Darjeeling Black Tea

This tea's info last updated: May. 30, 2014

Commercial Description

Grown on the foothills of the Himalayas, Darjeeling Tea is known throughout the world as the "champagne of teas".

Ratings & Reviews

Page 1 of 1 page with 6 reviews

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Reviewer pic71 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
(397 reviews) on

We first found this in an estate-sale pantry. Then my wife bought another box, because she enjoyed it as a morning and midday tea, when she didn't want something quite as potent as her favorite Assam or Irish breakfast blends. Loath to pilfer her teas and disharmonize domestic tranquility, I've just had a couple bags.

Unusually, the dry-bag aroma caught my attention the most. The finely chopped leaves smelled distinctly of unsweetened bran flakes or similar packaged cereal, as well as black tea. That was different, though not a turn-off. The steeping liquid darkened nicely as you probably would expect. I definitely discovered the astringent character of this, but curiously, just in the first sip of the cup, and in the aftertaste from each sip. The aftertaste astringency was really persistent and consistent too—not so much that seemed like I had chugged witch hazel—but enough to notice nonetheless. Bitterness was below my nuisance threshold and concentrated predominantly late in the aftertaste phase. Mostly, in between, it was an evenhanded, medium-bodied, likeable black tea, not as strong as I would prefer, but not annoyingly feeble either.

I'll think of this as the "middle ground" tea, not in the sense of being average rating-wise, but instead as a pleasant if uninspiring beverage having only a few, mainly low-grade characteristics that stand out. This might be a good product for folks to start in chronic tea drinking, being enjoyable enough to bother with, yet nothing outstandingly great or awful, then use as a baseline calibration against which to assess future black tea.
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Reviewer pic68 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
(170 reviews) on

The dry tea has the same basic smell of other blended Darjeelings. It's smells of dry leaves in autumn, a bit oaky and of raw pecans.

I tend to find Darjeeling teas to be somewhat more delicate than I'd prefer. This one is no exception, but I also wouldn't call it weak. It's lightly astringent with a very mild bitterness. It lacks the sweet maltiness and body of other teas, but I taste the floral and vegetal flavors that are so characteristic of Darjeelings. There are notes of jasmine flowers, clover leaves, alfalfa sprouts and very fresh, raw potato.

I think the biggest selling point for this particular tea is that it's much better than Bigelow's other unflavored black teas, English Teatime and English Breakfast.
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Reviewer pic73 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
(215 reviews) on

This tea is pretty good. It has a musty aroma. Brews quickly, which I like. I added cream and sugar.
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Reviewer pic43 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
(179 reviews) on

I love Darjeeling - and the good stuff (first flush) is pricey - so I tried a box of this (cheap!) but you get what you pay for. Very ordinary - but the bags make it portble and it's better than the Lipton swill my office provides.
1 Comment

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Reviewer pic40 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 3/5
(18 reviews) on

This tea is incredibly resilient, it is hard to over brew! While it's fragrance is fair-good it tastes flat.
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Reviewer pic50 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
(1453 reviews) on

Definitely recognizable as Darjeeling...fairly smooth, with only some astringency lingering towards the bottom of the cup. Weak aroma, not terribly complex, but pleasant. Much lighter than most of Bigelow's other black teas. This was enjoyable, although noticeably less so than other more pricey Darjeelings I've had in teabags.
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Page 1 of 1 page with 6 reviews

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