This weekend I was staying at my parents-in-law. I usually take my own tea with me, not because their tea is horrible, but my own tea reminds me of home, a little bit of comfort I guess. This time I decided to take some Teapigs Mao Feng green tea. I never take loose tea away because I can be quite messy with tea leaves, particularly in the dispatch of said leaves (I find them everywhere in my kitchen!).
Quite often the body yearns for something it cannot have. And that was the position I was in this weekend. I craved darjeeling. It was almost as though nothing else could quite satisfy the need for a cup of, what is considered, the champagne of tea.
I have to admit my journey with darjeeling started off as a little slow burner. I had brought some standard darjeeling teabags from the supermarket a few years ago and was quite excited as the tea brewed, thinking I was going to experience a tea that was truly special. Oh, how I was let down. Although I followed the brewing instructions to the letter, it tasted stale, dull and was the biggest let down ever.
I never really fussed much about darjeeling after that. I brought a small caddy of loose tea, thinking somehow I would fare much better, but again I was disappointed. I resealed the caddy and shoved it to the back of Twinings corner, only bringing it out when guests requested it.
A couple of months back the lovely James from Northern Tea Merchants very kindly sent me some samples of darjeeling which were, quite frankly, gorgeous. (Reviews coming shortly ...).
The difference between the glorious samples that were sent to me and the tea that I had brought was huge. Actually, it was staggering.
The samples I received were harvested in April this year, so they were fresh, fragrant, tasty and glorious. The taste was smooth with a slightly roasted taste, the colour was a lovely shade of caramel. And it's seriously addictive too, quite often the kettle is boiling before the cup has even been finished. It is truly both satisfying and heartwarming. Glorious and tasty. The perfect cup of tea, and even better, it's brilliant for those who do not take milk or sugar.
In comparison the tea that I brought from the supermarket was dried up, tasteless and bland. In fact it resembled a very well know brand of tobacco that my father used to smoke. When trying to detect it's aroma, I found there was none. I decided to brew a cup to see what it tasted like in comparison. I could not finish the cup and binned the rest of the tea.
Sometimes, it's better, I've realised to have less of a really good product then more of something that is of a lower standard.
Twinings, for instance, are selling their darjeeling first flush from the 2014 season at £88.00 for 250g. For me, (and I think a great many people) that is simply unaffordable. Many people could not or would not be prepared to spend nearly £90 on tea.
But, there are some great, affordable tea's out there that are of a superb quality. For instance, I recently reviewed Canton's First Flush Ruby Darjeeling and that is really lovely. And of course Northern Tea have some fantastic darjeeling in stock at very affordable prices.
I honestly believe, with all my heart, that supermarket darjeeling just doesn't do the blend justice, so my advice would be to purchase darjeeling from tea specialists. Honestly you will not regret it.
There is nothing nicer then curling up on the sofa with a cup of lovely, freshly brewed darjeeling. It's a soul soother when distressed and will add a touch of loveliness to a afternoon tea.
So, go on and treat yourself to a lovely darjeeling. Allow yourself a few minutes of utter bliss, a chance to unwind and forget the world.
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