Daruma

Tea: Daruma - 5521
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.00 / 50g
Vendor Description: By legend, this tea was created from the discarded eyelids of the monk, Daruma. Black tea and fruits of India are blended. Pink pepper shaped like Daruma is added and said to give an energizing power.

Leaf: The leaf consists of lots of CTC style pellets of tea. There is a little bit of orthodox leaf mixed in with this. There are also small red peppercorns and pieces of dried fruit in the aroma. The leaf has a very fruity aroma to it with hints of pepper as well.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 5min, 208F

1st Infusion: The tea produced a very dark brown hue. The aroma was very sweet yet unique. It had a smooth and inviting feel, yet odd due to the pepper. The flavor was light and crisp for a black tea. It was light bodied yet flavorful on the tongue. There was a light sense of astringency and a warm feeling at the end.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: In the end this was just another oddly flavored black tea. The fruit and peppercorns were an interesting mix like an ode to a chai, but not quite. In the end I would say that the price is the downfall of this tea though. There are much better alternative teas to this at lower prices, even from the same vendor.