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Review of Firefly Darjeeling black tea from The Simple Leaf
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Firefly's gorgeous leaves are a riot of color
A little while ago, I featured an interview with Nikhil Roychowdhury of The Simple Leaf, a Chicago-based tea company. along with a review of "Shanti", one of their green teas. This week I am reviewing The Simple Leaf's "Firefly", a black tea from Darjeeling.
Name: Firefly
Brand: The Simple Leaf
Type: Black tea (Darjeeling)
Form: Loose leaf
Cost: $13.95 for four ounces (sample sizes and quantity discounts available)
Review: I like Darjeelings, but regard them as fusspots. If prepared timidly, they can be remarkably ordinary. On the other hand, a ham-fisted approach can result in a bitter and disagreeable tea with enough astringency to give you a prune-like pucker for a week.
(As such, I advise careful preparation of any Darjeeling.)
Firefly is a case in point. The nose on the dry leaf (a beautiful melange of Autumn-tree colors ranging from yellow-gold to green to brown) is stunning: Even non tea-lovers sigh in delight when I give them a sniff. Fresh, intense, sweetly spicy with a hint of fruit, this is the sort of tea that you want to get infused, quickly!
The package instructions (6 ounces of water, 190F-208F steeping temperature, for 5 minutes) worked ok, but I didn't feel that the result reflected the tea's potential. So after a bit of experimentation, I came upon the following method for preparing Firefly:
- Heat 16 ounces of water to 190F
- Pour over 5 grams dry Firefly leaf
- Do NOT put a lid on the teapot or infuser: You don't want to "cook" these leaves
- Infuse for 6 minutes
- Enjoy!
The resulting brew is a gorgeous deep red-brown, with a nose of muscatel grape and a bit of very light maple sugar, both of which are present on the palate. Noticeably, but not offensively, astringent. Surprisingly robust and good for a second infusion.
Recommendation: This is a lovely tea that requires a bit of TLC to bring out its best qualities. Well-prepared, it should be enjoyed by most people, including tea newbies. Strangely tasty when served with Chinese food!
For more info: Visit The Simple Leaf online.
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