Darjeeling, Arya Diamond Second Flush Organic Black Tea

When I first received this tea I knew I would be in for a treat because it happens every year.  Arya has never let me down!  When my shipment finally arrived after months of anticipationI felt like a kid in a candy shop!  I opened the bag and was overwhelmed with the aroma of fresh ripe oranges with a slight hint of dark chocolate. The pronounced citrus aroma was accented with a faint floral and nutty undertone. This tea is highly aromatic and rich in complexity. To say the aroma of this exquisite tea is intoxicating is an understatement! The Arya Estate names all of their teas after precious jewels.  It goes without saying that their Diamond is the cream of the crop, the best of the best. Diamond is carefully hand-plucked solely from the prized AV2 cultivar from the highest section of the estate where the slow growth concentrates the juices and nutrients in the leaf resulting in the most complex flavors and aromas. The dry leaf is a bit longer than the normal classic graded Darjeeling and it has an attractive bloom due to an abundance of fine gold and silver downy hairs on the leaves. The leaves are elongated and wiry, well rolled and twisted in various shades of brown.  The profusion of silver and golden tips is evidence of the remarkable handling during processing. The rich aroma of the dry leaf is a complex mixture of  ripe oranges laced with dark chocolate and a hint of caramel with floral and nutty undertones. The infused leaf opens beautifully to reveal the original size of the tea leaf.  It has a lively brown color with the golden and silver tips turning a pale yellow. The leaf set of one and two leaves and a bud is fully intact--once again, evidence of the superior handling during processing. The infused leaf has a sweet aroma with a hint of citrus and mint together with complex nutty, floral, and fruity nuances. The liquor is slightly darker than the classic clonal second flush Darjeelings. Diamond has a light and bright golden brew that is brisk and mildly astringent with a buttery mouthfeel. It is instantly sweet with notes of caramel, mint and citrus together with nutty undertones.  It has a long lingering finish that is sweet and minty. All in all, this is definitely a tea to be savored!  Ingredients: Artisan Black Tea Origin: Darjeeling, India