Republic Darjeeling Black full leaf tea

I love this Darjeeling. It strikes a balance of delicacy and robustness with the flavors hitting so many different notes. I await the spring harvest, as the freshness of those leaves are the only items to possibly elevate this superb tea.

I love Darjeeling and this one is by far the best I have tried. I have had numerous darjeelings, even from single gardens and first flush, but I always return to the Republic Darjeeling.

I first became familiar with this tea when our Houston Heights Woman's Club used this for their Victorian Holiday Tea. I have drunk a lot of tea in my life, but this tea was above and beyond anything I have ever tasted; it's fragrance was clean and rich with a hint of evergreen (pine?) which made it the perfect tea for our holiday event. Two years later I became the "Tea Mistress" for the annual event and now nearly 12 years later it is the only tea we use. Initially we made it pot by pot, but it was inconsistent due to the variation in the size of the pots. Now we have fabric tea bags that allow us to make a great deal of tea at one time. We can serve 80 ladies in less than 10 minutes! I have found that rinsing the leaves in a little boiling water before steeping enhances the flavor greatly. The leaves can also be steeped a second time without sacrificing any flavor. As lovely as it is for the Holidays, it is just as enjoyable year round. It even makes a nice iced tea. No lemon needed!

On my last order, I decided to get smaller quantities of my two regular teas and try several new teas, this being one of them. While I've enjoyed the Darjeeling, it doesn't rank in my top few teas as it just has a hint too much fruity/floral overtones for my personal preference. I can, however, see it being a lovely accompaniment to a light lunch or with an afternoon pastry.

The Darjeeling tea is very smooth and balanced. It makes you feel calm and gives you a clear mind