Royal Darjeeling Rajah Premium

Appearance. Royal Blue Tea describes the liquor as deeply lustrous, with a deep, glossy color.^[1],[2]

Nose. The producer characterizes the aroma as an elegant, bouquet-like flavor.^[2]

Palate. On the palate Royal Blue Tea describes a refined black tea character that spreads through the mouth, closing with a luxurious lingering finish.^[1],[2]

Silver Needles (シルバーニードルズ) — Sole Component. Royal Darjeeling Rajah Premium is made from Silver Needles, which Royal Blue Tea identifies as the highest grade tea from the Makaibari Tea Estate, consisting primarily of silver-tipped new buds. The leaf is hand-picked on the day of the full moon once a year in summer, drawn from a special reserve tea field known for its silver-glinting new buds. After harvest the buds are hand-rolled by skilled craftsmen at the estate using a traditional technique.^[1],[2]

Specifications. Classification and grading of the tea are as follows:^[3]

• Category: Darjeeling black tea (紅茶), Premium tier of the Royal Darjeeling Rajah line
• Grade: FTGFOP-1S — Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe No.1 Special
• Certification: Organic JAS (有機JAS認定)

According to Royal Blue Tea, Royal Darjeeling Rajah Premium holds the record for the highest auction price in 150 years of black tea history, set at a tea auction in Kolkata, India in July 2003, a record the producer states has never been broken.^[1]