Rich and unique Darjeeling which transports you to the heady aromatics of an Indian fruit and spice market - saffron, pepper and cinnamon intermingle with rose water, watermelon and kulfi.
It is quite unusual to find a Black Darjeeling which looks like this beaut. Whole buds and leaves are kept intact and vibrant with a burnt orange and golden hue. It certainly caught my eye during sampling.
But, I am so used to getting my hopes up by the appearance of a tea, only to be disappointed by the taste. Not this Singbulli Gold!
Drinking this tea is a perfect example of the fabulous and mysterious effect of terroir - somehow the plant has captured the aromatics and character of a spice market in India.
Sweet and heady cinnamon dances across your nose followed by the bright and awakeningrush of saffron and the warm and spicy notes of black pepper.
Rose water, kulfi and caramel add a creamy, sugared and floral smile to the spices while the fruity funkiness of kombucha, overipe mango, tamarind and cooked watermelon get the mouth watering.
The aromatics translate into a dancing experience on the tongue - lively yet caramelly and brimming with fruits and spice with a lingering wintergreen herbaceous cooling finish.
Singbulli Gold is made from the Tukdah 383 cultivar - a hybrid made from the original China seedlings which were brought to Darjeeling a hundred or so years ago.
Singbulli is an organic estate established in 1924 which produces about 250 tonnes of tea every year but there was only 10kg of this batch available - a testament to the special nature of this Black tea.
VERY SMALL BATCH - less than 10kg
