The aroma of the really quite pretty leaves is very green and peppery, blending notes of green beans and cooked spinach with hints of veggie broth and a tiny touch of mushrooms. The finish is a delightful peppery green note that is a blend of just outright pepper and nasturtium, I am such a sucker for peppery notes in teas.
Giving the leaves a steep, my tea area smells like food! Specifically green cooked veggies, a mix of peppery cooked spinach and green beans and a bit of mushrooms and asparagus. It is a very vegetal tea, savory and green. The liquid is very much so vegetable broth, clean and peppery with dominant notes of asparagus and green beans, there is a slight hint of nutmeg at the finish giving the tea an extra bit of depth.
The liquid is delightfully pale, it reminds me of some of the jadeite I worked with as a jeweler. The mouthfeel is light and delicate, with a slight tingling at the back of the tongue. The taste is also very delicate, and quite vegetal, starting with a very delicate floral and lemon note that moves quickly to green beans and a touch of lima beans. The finish is a blend of pepper, smoke, and just a hint of asparagus, with the pepper lingering as the aftertaste. This was a very clean, green tea, not a sweet one, but erring to the savory side…as an aside it was a great accompaniment to a pile of fried eggs and bacon!
]]>The aroma of the curly leaves is quite floral and sweet, blending delicate orange blossoms and osmanthus, with fresh muscatel notes and a pleasant underlying aroma of nectarines and nuttiness. It is a light and almost ephemeral aroma, spring like in its flowery and fruity notes.
The aroma of the brewed leaves is delightfully floral and delicate, notes of orange blossom and grapes, like a blend of a Darjeeling and Taiwanese Oolong, it is fascinating in its delicate complexity. There are also notes of nuttiness and citrus, pleasantly sweet! The liquid poured away from its leafy friends, it is a combination of tangerine, orange, nectarine, and orange blossom, it is very citrus, and combine it with notes of honey and delicate nuttiness and you have a delicious smelling tea, but I am such a weakness for citrus notes.
This is a very delicate brew, the earlier description of ephemeral fits because not only it is delicate, it is also sweet, light, and mellow. Starting off with notes of orange blossoms and apricots, the taste then moves to grapes and honey very quickly. Underneath these floral and fruity notes is a gentle touch of fresh vegetation and a hint of pepper. I keep being pleasantly surprised by these ‘unusual’ teas from India, veering away from the typical black teas, I hope to be continuously surprised.
]]>The dry leaves are narrow, flattened olive-green tea buds, about 2.5cm – 4 cm in length. The aroma is earthy, nutty and sweet, with an elegant appeal.
The smooth buds infuse alight greenish-yellow liquor that is refreshing, smooth and aromatic. The flavor indelicate, clean, sweet vegetarian, with mild astringency and a pleasing finish. The beautiful crisp mineral taste, underscored with mild floral aroma, gives it an intriguing earthy taste.
2.5 gms of leaves were infused in 250 ml pre-boiled water (80 C) in a porcelain teapot for a minute. I got two balanced infusions from the serving that were both subtle and persistent in taste.
Billimalai Long Ding celebrates the “Kai Hua Long Ding” of China. Native to Kaihua County inZhejiang, which falls under ‘Gold Triangle of Green Tea’ region, it is one of China’s most exquisite and distinctive teas. The Indian version from the Nilgiris is a fine tea and it’s pleasant, flavourful and relaxing taste can make it an instant favorite with many tea drinkers.
Flush/Season – Winter flush, 2015
Grade – Long Ding Green
Region – Nilgiris
Website – www.theteashelf.com
Twitter – @TheTeaShelf15
Rating – 3.6/5
Talk about a great Assam! The smell of the golden-tip(py) dry leaf alone was totally worth the sipping experience. It was malty and bread-like or what I like to sometimes refer to as crusty but only subtly-so. Once infused everything seemed to follow suit with the exception of a tiny citrus surprise in mid-sip! The aftertaste is more bold than the beginning of the sip but I really enjoy tasting how the flavor progresses while on my tongue.
The color of the post-infused liquor is that of a medium-reddish-brown. Follow-up infusions are do-able but lighter in color and in flavor but still tasty! I only had about 5 grams of this tea to sample and I am already craving more! 2 thumbs up on this tea from me!
]]>First and on the left of all photos is Billimalai Nilgiri White. This tea is from the Billimalai tea estate. The dry leaf is more colorful with a range of olives and golds with an almost smokey scent.
Second, and on the right is Chamraj Nilgiri White, from the largest Nilgiri tea factory Chamraj. The dry leaf looks quite different as they are more uniform in colour of silver. The leaf also looks pretty downy fuzzy with a sweet scent. Another thing I noticed was this leaf was a little heavier than the Billimalai.
For both teas I went with 175F water temperature and a 3 minute infusion. For each tea I used 2.5 grams.
Right away during steeping I noticed even more differences between the teas. Billimalai is more yellow and wider of a leaf, whereas Chamraj is dainty and more vibrant green.
Steeped up, Billimalai is the paler hue of the two cups. Billimalai has a smokey vegetal scent, whereas Chamraj smells like sweet hay.
Billimalai Nilgiri White sips in sweet and smooth with a creamy feeling. I’m getting notes of straw, cream, and corn stalks. The finish goes lighter and with a clean leafy taste that is ultra fresh. The Billimalai is nicely refreshing and light, like taking a morning dip in the lake. I also think of this as the flavor prototype I’d describe for a good white tea.
Chamraj Nilgiri White, in contrast, is stronger in flavor and thicker in texture. The texture is silky. The flavor is a bouquet of floral dripping with honey. This white is also sweeter with a bit of an aftertaste of more floral. The floral is the main flavor, but not perfumey, so a 4/10 on the Floral meter. I find the more you sip the Chamraj white, they more you pick up a bit of dryness 2/10 Astringency, which is a little dryness on the tongue. I feel like I’m in a field of fat bees and flowers while eating a Crunchie honeycomb bar.
Both the Billimalai Nilgiri White and Chamraj Nilgiri White from The Tea Shelf are really good as well as different in taste – shows how much tea can be different from different tea estates! My personal preference would be the Chamraj Nilgiri White for the lovely floral notes.
I ordered the teas this way for alphabetical order, but post tasting I noticed that Chamraj is almost twice the price as the Billimalai. Thankfully, The Tea Shelf has sampler sets so you can try before you dive in to 100 gram sizes.
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From what I’m seeing from their website, The Tea Shelf is a relatively new tea company. Focusing on loose leaf Indian teas, they have been around since 2014. They are part of a larger company it looks like but when I googled that name, I didn’t really come back with a whole lot.
Like I said, I hadn’t heard much about them but was excited to dig in and share the tea with the twins while we were watching Maze Runner.
Billimalai Long Ding A favorite amongst green tea drinkers, the Billimalai Long Ding tea celebrates the “Kai Hua Long Ding” of China. The Olive green spindles shaped with care impart a pale greenish yellow cup of tea when brewed. A tea with a pleasing earthy flavor yet uncompromising in its depth and body.
Never having a tea like this before I was quite excited!
I love the packages that these samples came in. There is so much information on them including different aspects of the tea like when is the best time to enjoy this tea and what the flavor profile of the tea is.
The twins were excited to try this one. They seem to becoming tea enthusiasts themselves which I just adore. They also seem to enjoy the straight teas more than the flavored ones. When they ask for tea, they ask for “normal” tea and not the weird ones that I like. Ha!
Speaking of adore, I love how this tea looks. Such a long leaf. Just beautiful with rich green tones.
So overall what do I think? This tea is pretty good. First sip and you can tell this is a green tea. Very vegetal with those grass like qualities, but one that is smooth. No bitterness, just smooth simple straight green tea.
I can’t say that I would need to have this tea again, but it was a nice change of pace from the flavored and floral teas I have been drinking as of late. For one of my first experiences with The Tea Shelf, I’m pleased. I’m excited to try the rest of the teas they sent me for being the big winner.
Happy Saturday Sipping everyone!
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Apparently this tea is the only crop in India to grow the same variety of tea introduced 160 years ago by Dr Jameson, which is a fantastic little bit of knowledge. Also fun little snippet of knowledge, a Palampore is a bed cover made in India back in the late 18th to early 19th century, they were super fancy and expensive, and not many examples exist today. So, enough info snippets, time for tea!
The aroma of the fairly small leaves is very refreshing and sweet, blending tangy notes of citrus peel (specifically a strong note of grapefruit) with sweet juicy white grapes and distant peony flowers. The citrus notes almost give the tea a effervescent quality, it certainly livens up the nose.
Steeping the tea brings a creamy quality to the leaves, no longer effervescent but still just as sweet. Adding notes of orange blossom, pepper, and lettuce to the notes of grapefruit and grapes, it is still refreshing, but the other notes give it a slight heaviness. Holy moly, the liquid is a nose party! Super sweet with strong notes of honey and juicy grapes with orange blossoms, zingy grapefruits and sweet oranges. It smells pretty yummy.
And you know, it tastes pretty yummy! Like really yummy, like I am really sad that I tore through my sample already because I want more yummy. It is very creamy and sweet, with a smooth mouthfeel, it starts with juicy white grapes and honey, this transitions to a refreshing crisp lettuce and grapefruit zest and blossoms. The finish is a blend of gentle almonds and orange blossoms with just a tiny hint of pepper.
This tea mixed refreshing notes and sweet notes quite perfectly, I am not going to say this is the best tea I have ever had, but it is one of those that just fit perfectly for the mood I was in while tasting it. I think I will have to order some of this for my private stash to drink once in a while, especially on cool days with a gentle breeze and a need to just relax while being refreshed.
Today I drink tea, “black” in his name, but looks a lot like a green tea. The tea is the brand Teashelf, and coming from India, from the Kangra region. This is situated in a valley between the mountains in the Himalayas, through this unique location, the valley is also called “the valley of the Gods” mentioned. Another advantage of its unique location, is that the usual “tea pests and diseases” the valley (and thus the tea) can not reach. Partly for this reason, the tea free from pesticides, chemicals and insecticides! This creates a wonderful color to the leaves.
The leaves are torn and rolled, but have in part retained their green color, will I get the expectation that the tea will not be so dark taste and odor as a “black” black tea. He reminds me very much of the Darjeeling First Flush in terms of colors, I find this color really suit the autumn, because the colors are very variable. A deep dark black tea is more of a winter tea, this tea seems to be the transition between summer and autumn assist perfect.
The tea smells after putting honey and lavender, but where a special honey pepper grain is milled through. Well great, I did not expect such a sweet-looking tea. The eye would in this case a bit, and it gets too. The tiny pieces of leaf after putting almost turned green, with here and there a speck of brown. Very special to see!
When I taste the tea, there slips a soft and slightly sweet taste on my tongue back. The tea is very strong smell, but the taste is not so heavy. Do not get me wrong, it’s a lovely little tea, but if you expect a blast of flavor that can be a shock if that bright at all takes place in your mouth. However, come the floral aromas surfaced, and obviously I taste the lavender back. Special!
It’s a tea that continues to surprise, and makes me curious about the “Valley of the Gods” and the beautiful vegetation there.
]]>My five minute second steep is again more aromatic than flavorful. It’s picked up a mild grassiness, adding to the subtle depth of the tea. It’s a very unique white tea, having little in common with most other tippy whites I’ve had.
Something I really appreciate from tea companies is having a lot of buying options. The smallest option to get this tea (aside from in sampler sets, but then you have to get several teas) is 100 grams. I can go through 100 grams before it gets stale, but not everyone can. It also means that the smallest amount you can buy costs $41. $41 for 3.5 ounces of quality white isn’t unreasonable in the least, but it’s a lot to drop on a single tea. Personally, I’d rather buy about half that amount of each tea and have more variety in my order. That’s a minor company complaint, though, and it doesn’t affect my opinion or rating of this tea, just how likely I’d be to buy it. The tea overall is delicious and certainly unique enough to warrant at least getting yourself a sample pack.
]]>One of the teas was a real winter pluck Nilgiri, a region in southern India. The plantation where the tea comes from hot Billimalai, and there are several bags of this plantation in the shipment. Which of course is super interesting, because if you can discover beautiful differences and similarities in the different teas from one gebied. Wat I regret is that I can find no information on the “winter flush”. I know this is the last pick, the pick spring when the leaves are young. But what does a winter pick the leaves, and thus the taste, I can not find on the web or in my tea books. If you know more about it, a reaction is very welcome!
When I open the tea, there is a kind of fresh bamboo fragrance upwards, with a very light nut through it. Jum! The leaves look a bit messy.They are a bright shade of green, but I get a lot of different sizes against.
When I put the tea, I magic leaves from my Gawain up, and see how photogenic they are. As soon as I turn my camera on them, they all seem so magical lie that they are all right there. Maybe I should drink this tea a time when I have a picture … It looks beautiful, and became quiet as I enjoy the beautiful leaves that look as soft as the skin of a newborn baby.
The taste reminds me of the same baby, he is very gentle and sweet. I taste a little nut, which rolls over my tongue and slides and then quickly dive into my throat. What a delicious tea, and what a peace I get from this tea. I would love to drink this tea after a busy day at work, so I can let you know everything about me slide and all can come to me. India and TeaShelf, thank you for this experience.
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