It has been a while since I have sampled tea from The Simple Leaf, so this tasting is long overdue. Excited to have a new tea experience, I eagerly opened my new package of Decadence. Many thanks to The Simple Leaf website for this awesome picture. The very name was enough to pique my interest… Dacadence.
Composition: White tea from the Rungmook Estate in Darjeeling, India.
Dry Visual: Very green rolled leaves of various shades with a mild “dusting” of fur.
Dry Aroma: Somewhat earthy - but very light. It was surprising, because I expected the aroma to be a little vegetal.
Flavor: Excellent! I was very impressed by the strength of Decadence. Considering white tea has a milder, more delicate taste, Decadence was full of flavor. Naturally sweet, easily enjoyed both with or without sweetener I enjoyed Decadence like a purist. No sugar, honey, or artificial sweetener – simply tea. Even as I write this review, I am thinking of brewing another cup to discern what I believe to be a fruity undertone. After many swishes around the mouth, I cannot be sure – it is quite faint.
Liquor: A very light brown – darker than what I would expect from a white tea.
Brewing Time: Recommended brewing time is 3 minutes. I brewed for 3 minutes and remain quite impressed by the strength of the flavor.
Manufacturer: The Simple Leaf
Caffeine: Yes
Decadence has become one of my favorite white teas. I would certainly recommend it to other White Tea lovers on the prowl for a new tea. If you have had the pleasure of drinking Decadence, stop by and share your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!
It’s hard to judge whether anybody else has tried this tea, unless they purchased it from the same vendor (“Decadence” is not the name of a tea estate in Darjeeling I’m aware of).
Chances are that quite a few people have tried this tea, but under different names.
I never bought into the “fancy naming scheme” for single estate teas. These estates usually have a reputation amongst tea connoisseurs and many people buy a tea BECAUSE it is from a certain estate. Names like “Decadence” make a lot of sense from a marketing point of view (it obviously worked on you), but will almost always scare true enthusiasts away. This seems to be an expensive tea, so I’d like to know just what exactly I’m drinking…
Hey Jo,
The tea came from The Simple Leaf. I’l have to see if I can find out from The Simple Leaf what estate the tea came from.
I think you are right about Decadence not being the name of a tea estate in Darjeeling.
I’ll keep you posted.
Hey Jo,
I found the estate name – Rungmook Estate in Darjeeling, India. I will make sure that I post the estate name for all of my teas from Darjeeling.
Hi Jo,
Thanks so much for the feedback. I completely understand your reservations about the names of our teas. We do make sure we list the estate name on the site, including links to aerial maps of the garden so people can get a feel for the geography of the area. As someone who spent much of my childhood in Darjeeling, I am well aware of the need to give full credit to the growers (we also try to do this in our “Behind The Cup” series”).
Jo – we named our teas because we wanted to strike a balance between appealing to high-end connoisseurs (who obviously care a great deal about provenance) and people who do not have the same level of knowledge, but just want a great cup of tea. An ambitious aim no doubt, but I can assure you, we struggled with this question quite a bit and decided to go with naming our teas in the end. Obviously, not everyone is going to be thrilled, and we heartily welcome the feedback and criticism.
Best,
Nikhil
The Simple Leaf
Nikhil,
After I read Jo’s comment, I did find the estate name and added the information to the tea review. However, I appreciate your visiting and providing an additional response.
This tea rocks. Period.
The only thing I could complain about is the price, but then again, that is another feature that makes it so great.
This one is definitely my new favorite white!
Great review!
Brittiny,
Thanks! I have had several excellent teas from The Simple Leaf. I include Decadence in that category.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Can’t wait to read more details about your experience.