NAMRING UPPER VINTAGE

Tea type: black tea

Brand: Vahdam

How to prepare it: 3 to 5 minutes, 90/100 °C (212 °F)

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Dry scent:

It's really close and thick: there are strong woody and tannins notes, but slowly it starts to open showing a smooth citrusy sweetness - orange in particular -. Then it goes towards a honey sweetness with some mint notes: let me say eucalpus honey.

Liquor's colour:

Deep orange.

Liquor's scent:

The previous citrusy sweetness now its fully

revealed with strong notes of orange, but the bitterness given by tannins is still hugely presents. However now it's closer to dark chocolate and liquorice root.

Taste:

At first impression it seems to be spicy, recalling a little bit nutmeg, but tannins' bitterness are strongly presents, maybe too much. The previous sweetness of orange is covered by all this tannins, lowering the enjoyability of this tea. It leaves an astringent aftertaste.

Conclusion:

A Darjeeling with really an interesting and complex scent, which, sadly, isn't reapeted in its taste. There so much tannins that seems to be overspicy: the kind of bitterness that you get when you put too much spice - nutmeg - in your meal.

My score is: 6.5/10