The Simple Leaf Firefly

Description (from thesimpleleaf.com): Firefly is our all-new Darjeeling black tea. When we set out to look for a replacement for last season’s pick, we came across this gem. We named her Firefly because of her beautifully colored leaves. [more...]

Review: After totally falling in love last week with The Simple Leaf's Mountain Malt (which is my designated "late morning/weekend tea" now), I came across Firefly in my review box -- somehow I missed this, and I've had it for awhile, so this review is long overdue.

If you think that one tea can't have so many bright colored leaves, you are wrong. The tea, before you even open the bag, looks delicious, and smells incredible. It has the Darjeeling nutty-fruity twinges, and this one has a touch of sour, peppery taste that adds a dry dimension to it. It has an excellent, complex taste that will appeal to people who want to remember more than one taste and more than one flavor. It doesn't really fit into any category, and is multifaceted even for darjeeling.

I wouldn't say it is too bold, but it has enough astringency to leave its mark when you want something somewhat robust. I still prefer the higher grown stuff, and this isn't as smooth as many of my favorites, but is smoother than Assam and has much more dimension. Firefly is delicious, has a smooth, deep flavor, with nutty and fruity undertones and a slight peppery taste. Another must-try!

The Good: complex, tons of flavors, smooth but still has a nice black tea bite
The Bad: not as smooth as I usually prefer, but a great choice nonetheless
More Information/Buy: The Simple Leaf Firefly