Nandi Royal OP
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Commercial Description
A smooth, medium-bodied cup is produced from the long, dark brown leaves. A hint of honey is introduced in the aroma, blooming into a pronounced note in the coppery amber cup. A nutty nuance complements the sweet flavor, ending with a crisp, clean finish.
Ratings & Reviews
Page 1 of 1 page with 1 review
87 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5Alex Zorach (1448 reviews) on Mar. 13th, 2018
An outstanding tea for a great price, but does not resteep well.
This tea surprised me; a truly artisanal tea at an amazingly low price, with the only downside being that it does not resteep well. It also resembled a Darjeeling more than any other African-sourced tea I've ever tried. Kenya keeps producing remarkable teas and this is yet another. This tea reminds me a lot of the Royal Tajiri Tea, one of my favorite teas I ever sampled, and I wonder if it is from the same operation or growing tradition.
Dry leaf has a beautiful smell, soft, pleasant herbaceous notes, smells sweet and mellow, and notes of wintergreen; I can tell I'm going to like this one. It also looks pretty; Upton's photo doesn't do it justice.
The brewed cup is delightfully sweet, tasting like honey has been added even though I added nothing. When brewed strongly, there is also a noticeable umami or savory note. Aroma is vegetal and floral Darjeeling-like in character. Notes of wintergreen, olives. The aroma is complex. Leaves a clean, but slightly tingling sensation on the palat. I find this is softer and smoother than most Darjeelings. Seems fairly strongly caffeinated; I would not drink this one too late in the day.
When I look at the spent leaves, after brewing, there is a bit of greenish color in the leaves; it looks a lot like a Darjeeling second flush.
The tea disappointed me in the second steep; it's surprisingly bland and I didn't really enjoy it, even using a very long steep. I preferred making only one steep, of 5 minutes.
Even given that it doesn't resteep well, this is a really great deal. I normally would expect to pay twice as much for a tea of this quality. I'm eager to try the higher grade version of this tea, which I also ordered a sample of.
Page 1 of 1 page with 1 review
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