This is a first flush tea, which means it is comprised of the first batch of tea picked of the tea season, or the spring flush. This particular first flush blend is also from a single tea estate, and has beautiful multi-faceted black and green leaves.

Stash recommends you drink this tea plain without adding any milk or sweetener, which is probably for the best because my honey expired a decade ago and is now in an unforgiving solid chunk (which I melted over the stove, put in a cheap ceramic container, then forgot about again, causing it to be even more solid). I steeped it for 3 1/2 minutes or so and proceeded to drink it straight.

The resulting cup is interesting and complex - astringent without being unpleasant and fragrant with a hint of smokiness in the flavour. The taste is consistently good throughout the whole cup, and what flavours there are in this cup of tea are rather heavy and complex, but I find the overall cup itself to be quite light.

This is tea in solid in both scent and flavour, but I do not find it particularly unique, and I generally prefer my black teas to be a bit stronger and bolder.

— To purchase Stash Namring Estate Darjeeling, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular tea, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

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