Customer Reviews

Twinings Darjeeling Tea, Loose Tea, 3.53-Ounce Tins (Pack of 6)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Twinings was founded in London, England in 1706, and has a long and respected tradition of producing only the finest of teas. The history of Darjeeling tea goes back to the 1840s, when Dr. Campbell, a civil engineer, planted tea seeds in his garden at Beechwood, Darjeeling. The result was a nice light tea with excellent color and aroma. Darjeeling tea gained a considerable following, and is now highly prized as the "champagne of teas!"

OK, let's get down to brass tacks - this is an excellent tea, produced by a great company, and a tea I will NEVER be without. The tea has an excellent aroma and flavor and is harder to over-steep than some other teas that I have known. Also, something of a surprise is the fact that this tea tastes at least as good iced as it does hot! As such, year round you will find me making Twinings' Darjeeling tea.

So, here's the bottom line: if you want a tea that is excellent hot AND cold, then Darjeeling is for you. If you want tea from a great tea producer, then Twinings is for you. If you want the best tea in the world, then buy Twinings' Darjeeling tea!

Twinings is known for delivering consistency and value. This tea is no exception.

Most of the Twinings Darjeeling blend is black, but you can spot some green particles. The Twinings loose tea has no uncut leaves. The blend uses smaller, less-expensive particles which infuse more quickly than whole leaves. The Twinings tea has enough tannins to tolerate milk or a sweetener. It has some harshness when infusing is done at too high a temperature or for too long.

I suggest steeping not more than 2 to 2.5 minutes to control bitterness. You may even want to check every 15 seconds starting at two minutes, since Darjeeling can quickly 'bolt' to a point of unpleasant sharpness. To avoid particulate matter in your drink, use a strainer or infuser with a fine mesh. (Amazon sells Tovolo, Teeli, and Frieling/Swissgold filters with very small openings in their screens.)

To gain the best flavor, I recommend brewing at a temperature of 185F or cooler. (A clean candy or meat thermometer can quickly guide your efforts.) If you have been brewing with water that is near boiling, you will be shocked by the huge transformation from using water that cools a couple minutes after reaching the boiling point.

I have enjoyed quality Darjeeling, the 'champagne of teas,' for over three decades while keeping notes to track favorites. And, how do I rate Twinings? A bargain. And, if your enjoy Twinings, I suggest trying some other Darjeeling teas, perhaps estate grown. The better Darjeeling teas come from the higher elevations where the cooler mountain environment slows leaf growth and develops a fine flavor. Where should you search? Check reviews at Amazon and other sellers. Among the packaged brands, I love Peets - normally known for their coffees.

Twinings is a bargain and a fine introduction to the wide range of Darjeeling teas. Three and one half stars. Not excellent, but a darn good starting point.

Always liked the taste of darjeeling tea. True to the form, the really good stuff is quite expensive, but then there is Twinnings - to me it's the best of affordable teas.
Bonus for sloppy people: it's hard to oversteep. With many other teas if you steep it longer than indicated the tea taste becomes bitter and harsz. Not so with this one.

If you are a person whose only experience with tea is grocery store blends that you don't exactly hate but really find too bitter then this is the antidote. Darjeeling is like those blends but it never gets bitter even if you walk off and leave it brewing too long by mistake. It is absolutely my favorite tea. Add a little orange blossom honey and it is perfect. There is nothing in this tea that takes getting used to. If you can tolerate a (famous brand) pekoe-black teabag then you find this tea to be a revelation.

Darjeeling tea is such a treat. It has a wonderful taste and aroma. I love many of the Twinings teas ... English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Major Grey and of course, this one. Major Grey has a floral aroma that is sometimes just perfect. This darjeeling is wonderful straight or with milk (sugar for some folks). Makes a nice change from their other teas.
I prefer Darjeeling in the late afternoon or evening.

Note: Having lived in various parts of the country, I've found that a tea sometimes just isn't great depending on the water. My favorite morning tea bounces between English and Irish breakfast, depending on where I'm living. I recall that Twinings developed a blend especially for NYC back in the 70's sometime. Water in London and NYC produce different beverages from the same tea.

Darjeeling tea is grown in the Darjeeling region in West Bengal, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Technically, Darjeeling teas are Oolong, although they're often marketed as black teas.

I've been a brewed tea drinker for many years, and I've tried dozens of different teas, but Twinings Darjeeling is my #1 favorite. It gives a light-colored drink with a great aroma and a unique taste. Twinings rates their Darjeeling at two tea leaves out of five on their flavor strength scale, but it has enough body and aroma that I would rate it at three leaves.

If you're thinking of ordering this product, be sure to notice that this is loose tea. It's just as easy to brew as bagged-and-tagged teas, just very slightly less convenient. I use a tea infuser, which makes it very easy to brew up a hot cup, which I do several times a day.

Our local supermarket has the single tins, but compared to buying a package of six 3.5-ounce tins from Amazon, they're considerably more expensive.

Tastes good but too finely ground. You can't let it steep much more than 2 mins or it's bitter.

Darjeeling is easily my favorite tea and I've had several others, though nowhere near enough to be considered a connoisseur. There really is a subtle grape flavor as well as a total lack of bitterness. The color of the tea, once prepared, is red-orange. The cheapest way that I can see in preparing the loose tea is putting a french press on double duty; Bodum sells presses for around $20. The one thing to watch out for is leaving excess tea in the press. The tea will continue to steep and subsequent cups will be extremely bitter and much darker. Steep for around a minute and a half, but no longer. Also, don't clean the press with any form of soap as the residue tends to add bitterness to the tea.

I am never without Darjeeling tea. It is a nice mild tea that tastes good both hot and iced. I am new to loose tea so was a little surprised when I opened the first can to find such fine particles, similar to what you find inside a tea bag. I assumed all loose tea was of the larger, full leaf type. Had I read the other reviews here, I would have known better so my bad.

My only complaint about this purchase - hence the 4 star rating - is the expiration date on the tins. They shipped February 8, 2010, with an expiration date of May 28, 2010. Under 4 months? In airtight containers, I expect tea to last at least a year. I understand they have to rotate their stock and these tins had probably been sitting around for 6 months, but it was still surprising and disappointing. As an avid tea drinker, I just finished the last tin so I only went about one month past the expiration date but still, they need to plan their inventory better.

If you have yet to try Darjeeling tea, I highly recommend it. Twinings is a good and reputable brand and the quality and flavor never disappoints.

Loos tea is the only way to go. Twinnings has been consistantly excellent tea. I've been using Twinnings almost exclusively at home since my first trip to London over 30 years ago. Their Darjeeling is most excellent. You won't be disappointed.