1/25/12

Tea of the week: Glendale Estate, Nilgiri Frost Tea

Amidst the dissatisfaction that the Namring Darjeeling was bringing around, Sylvia reminded me of an old friend: Glendale Estate's Nilgiri Frost Tea.  How could I have forgotten?  All of my issues with the Namring are absolved in this Nilgiri, which takes the strong flavor of the Darjeeling and pairs it with a fullness typical of an Assam, but without the malty weight.  The result is a perfect cold-day afternoon tea.

Glendale's Nilgiri is called Frost Tea because their estate is high enough in the mountains for the leaves to frost over in the winter.  This supposedly gives the tea an interesting flavor (something to do with "cell component concentration." What do these words mean, scientists?  Sound off!).  I believe it, because Glendale's Nilgiri is interesting!  There's a taste of Darjeeling-like wildness at the center of its flavor, supplemented by a slight spicy kick and a sweetly smooth finish.  It's full, but quite light, not as breezy and fresh as Darjeeling, but just as nice.  Better yet, it has none of the harsh astringency of a strong Darjeeling; this isn't to say that there's no astringency, but it's negligible in comparison to the smooth overall mouthfeel.  It's an invigorating tea, but in an afternoon way: it calms you down, centers you, and pushes you along with your day.
Glendale Estate (in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India) is a pretty big operation, and their website has tons of information about who they are and what they do.  They aren't organic, but they do claim to make an effort to reduce pesticide use, and they're into giving back to the community through estate hospitals and schools.  They also provide tours and extended plantation stay vacations, so I can't imagine they're doing anything too evil.  It looks absolutely gorgeous:
Adderley Estate - Rolling Tea Gardens 
I got my Glendale Frost from TeaSource, but they're unfortunately not selling it anymore.  You can get the Orange Pekoe from Tea District.  Fun Fact: Glendale's SFTGFOP was named the most expensive tea in the world (selling for $600 a kilo) in 2007.

-Ben "The Best" Tuthill
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