Tea Review 140 - Persimmon Tree Black (x4)

Biodynamic Darjeeling
Ceylon
Classic Black
English Breakfast
The Persimmon Tree

I tend to favor black tea over everything else. So when The Persimmon Tree sent a bunch of samples recently it's no surprise that I immediately gravitated to the four unflavored black varieties that were included. To paraphrase George Orwell, all of them were equal but some were more equal than the others.

Biodynamic Darjeeling
Despite its exalted reputation I find that I'm not normally a fan of Darjeeling. A lot of the ones I've tried seem to have a hint of bitterness and kind of a thin quality to the flavor. Maybe it's because I'm used to more robust black teas. In any event, this one didn't have any of those qualities and I found it to be quite smooth and flavorful. I'd rank it as the best of this bunch.

Ceylon
If memory serves right I've seen the term bright used to describe certain types of Ceylon tea and I was never sure quite what it meant. After sampling this Ceylon I think I understand it now. I've been drinking a lot of Yunnan black tea lately and have gotten used to that heavy, very robust flavor that's common to the breed. I could see how the term bright could apply to this Ceylon, which is quite light and has some very faint notes that almost resemble mint. Rather an offbeat one here.

Classic Black
This is a mix of Nilgiri and Yunnan and while I liked it I personally felt that perhaps it could use a little less of the former and more of the latter. Not bad at all, but kind of middle of the road as far as flavor goes.

English Breakfast
There's no indication of exactly what teas are included in this blend. I'd rank it about the same as the Classic Black.

Sample provided by The Persimmon Tree
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