This Darjeeling is bright and coppery, brisk without being too strong. You would not guess that it was decaffeinated if it weren’t labeled as such. Some decaf teas taste attenuated, or thin, or as if one is drinking them through a layer of paper; not this one! It retains the invigorating taste we expect of Darjeeling.
While it’s lacking the wine-like “muscatel” note that one gets from the fanciest single-estate Darjeelings, it has the coppery and slightly astringent finish that makes Darjeeling such a good mid-afternoon re-invigoration, even without the full dose of caffeine. And, since it’s a decaf tea, it can be used as one’s with-supper or after-supper tea, because the bright taste makes this a great palate-cleanser.
Harney & Sons describe this tea as:
Black tea from Darjeeling. A great alternative for Darjeeling lovers.
It should be noted that even decaf teas do have a slight trace of caffeine remaining – usually in the neighborhood of 5 mg per cup. For most people, this is not enough to cause any sleeplessness, but for those who are extremely sensitive to caffeine, your best bet is to steep this one time for about 3 minutes, and use that cup of tea for your morning tea or your partner’s cup, and then steep the leaves a second time for 4-5 minutes; the second steeping should have less than 1 mg of caffeine in it.
Harney has this tea available in quantities from sample packets to pounds, and if you are looking for a decaf everyday tea that you would actually use by the pound, this one’s a winner.
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Recent Comments
"When I was a kid, in the middle of winter, my friend Penny and I eachbought a quart of ice cream, skated to the island in the middle of our lake and ate them. Soooo good and soooo naughty. It keeps us young to be naughty sometimes. I would just go for it an enjoy!"
marlena said, in reply to Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud on August 30, 2010 at 12:35 pm
marlena on:
Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud
"Well, as someone who has tasted a lot of chai tea, I can attest that this really is not very similar in taste to Chai. Chai tends to focus on the spices, whereas this tea’s focus is on the orange, with the spices being very gentle and more of an accent to the orange."
liber-teas said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:00 pm
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Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"How fun! I love drinking tea so I love that you have a whole blog related to reviewing them. One brand that I really love that I don’t see on your list is the Portsmouth Tea Company. When I lived in Boston I used to buy lots of their teas and they were oh so unique. They had some really great fruity and floral blends. It’s interesting that..."
Kelly said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:25 am
Kelly on:
Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"Haha!! My co-worker told me that she purchased this tea after having purchased the Matcha Latte at Seattle’s Best, and her and another co-worker purchased this because they believed it was what was served there. She stated to me today that “it didn’t seem the same exactly…it felt like their was something..."
The Tea Guru said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:55 pm
The Tea Guru on:
Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe that this is the concentrate that Seattle’s Best coffee shops use to make their matcha latte. The lattes I’ve enjoyed there were sweet with a definite melon flavor… and I have noticed that they sell other Tazo teas there. If it IS the concentrate that they use… I am..."
liber-teas said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:47 pm
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Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I Love this tea!! This flavor is my favorite. I am so addicted to it! Thanks
"
Betsy said, in reply to Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea on August 20, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Betsy on:
Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
"Steph: Thank you for your information about the naranquilla. I didn’t find the flavor to be very tart at all – which is what I would have expected from the combination of lime and rhubarb. Perhaps the maraschino sweetened it up a bit and made it much more peach-like. It reminded me a bit of candied apricots or peaches."
liber-teas said, in reply to Easter Tea from Dammann Frères on August 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm
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Easter Tea from Dammann Frères