Adding the third and final tea from Kotagiri this season, the 2023 Winter Frost Black. Made from our favourite CR6017 clone, this is an amalgamation of decades of hardwork bearing fruit throughout the Nilgiris. It is a perfect counterpart of another tea we offer made from this clone, the Winter Nilgiri Oolong, very similar, just more like a black tea!
The dry leaf has a refreshing minty aroma with a spicy background. When placed on the heated ware, we notice notes of palm jaggery and betel leaf/paan. You are greeted with notes of lavender and guava on your first sip, followed by the signature rose and paan note. As you sip further, you can notice notes of chrysanthemum followed by a guava finish again. There is a faint sweetness of palm jaggery to be enjoyed as well. The liquor also has an earthy vibe, making you feel like you are in a forest full of eucalyptus trees, just like the Nilgiris. On the fruit front, it gets more complex in the later steeps during gong fu style and with longer infusion times when doing western brews, you can notice notes of Indian jujube and dried plums, it also closely resembles a wood apple/bengal quince drink made in India during summers, called bel sharbat. The lavender notes are a constant during later steeps during gongfu brews, very soothing to drink!
Appearance : Light orange
Taste : Lavender, guava, palm jaggery, chrysanthemum, bel sharbat, Indian jujube, dried plums
Steeping Time : 3.5 minutes western style, 25 seconds gongfu style for the first two steeps adding 5 seconds every subsequent steep
Leaf to water ratio : 0.8 gram per 100ml for western style, 3 grams per 100ml for gongfu styleRecommended Steeping Temperature : 95°C
Recommended Steeping Method : Works good both ways
Harvest Season : Winter 2022-23, plucked in the first week of March 2023
