Tea friend Storm Morales was kind enough to send me a few teas to try. My first review is Glenburn Estate's Autumn Crescendo. Storm is keen on single estate teas, and I was eager to try this one.
Autumn Crescendo is an autumn-harvested black tea; the estate is in Darjeeling. The leaves appear to be high quality cut leaf with incomplete oxidation. The tea steeped for 90 seconds in water boiled in the iron tetsubin.
The aroma of the wet leaves is enchanting. The overall profile of this black is much more complex than I expect from an Indian tea. Many different scents combine to create an aroma that is multidimensional and captivating. We don't usually talk about enjoying the scent of the wet leaves with Indian teas, but you should not skip this pleasure with this particular tea. The brew is a beautiful medium auburn color.
The flavor is likewise complex, being savory, malty, smoky, and sweet, with little astringence. (Keep in mind, the tetsubin moderates astringence and allows other flavors to come forward.) The first brew is the best, but the second is still quite enjoyable. I doubt it would brew well a third time.
All in all, this is an absolutely wonderful black tea. It is well-suited to be a breakfast tea, a teatime tea, or an evening tea. If you enjoy Indian teas, treat yourself to this one. Storm procured it from The Pleasures of Tea on Long Island. Kudos to Glenburn Estate, and cheers to my friend Storm for introducing me to this tea.
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