One For The Money, Two For The Show

I received many tea bags in my latest tea swap and some were the same variety, so I thought I would do some comparisons.  Today's pair is Darjeeling, one by Ahmad Teas, the other by Teekanne, a German company.  Both were nicely wrapped in individual packets, both were a pretty standard teabag, both had directions to use boiling water and brew for 3 minutes.  So I did.

The Ahmad Darjeeling, as with most teabags, had no real scent until it was brewing for a bit and then it smelled like biscuits or baked squash.  When the three minutes were up I started sipping.  The tea did taste like baked or roasted veggies.  It also tasted a bit like toast.  However, it also had a harsh, astringent side, which really over rode the other, more gentle flavors.  They may have been gentle, but I didn't find them particularly like most Darjeelings.

Teekanne Tea's Darjeeling also smelled like something baked, once it was brewing, in this case, sugar cookies.  It was a much darker amber.  The taste was a real mix of wine, roasted veggies and some nuttiness,  It was smooth going down and had a pleasant residual taste.  By comparison, it wins hands down. 

Tomorrow I am going to do and English Breakfast comparison.  I find doing these, either with teabags or loose tea, really shows up the characteristics of particular teas and can help one decide which tea  is really  preferred.

More German church.  I loved the organs and the painted ceilings.  After WWII there was a lot of restoration done, removing years of paint and other things, to reveal original colors and in some cases, murals and other artwork.