Tea for Canadian Winters and a Tasting of 2013 Makaibari FTGFOP 1S CH - Organic Second Flush Darjeeling‏

It is cold here on the prairies and little is more satisfying than a good hardy 2nd Flush Darjeeling to start the day.  The touch of aged oolong and many decades aged puerh is also a real treat for this time of year.  One pounded through a self-re-roasted 15ish years oolong over the last few months.  There is little aged oolong left in the old tea cupboard.  What is left is all still of unknown quality in its original Taiwanese signature vacuum packaging- a tea post for another day, no doubt.  Old puerh tea is set aside for slow gong fu like enjoyment- not economically practical for everyday enjoyment.  So often Second Flush Darjeeling becomes a real staple.

The following was a favorite of the 2013s after sampling tons from Lochan Tea...

Dry leaves smell of strong deep very sweet fruit odours.

The first pot is that of sweet distinctly raisin tastes. These tastes are very clean and leave a fresh aftertaste in the throat. The mouthfeel is stimulated and felt in the upper and mid throat as a slight raisiny-menthol lingers there. The sensation pushes a pool of saliva to the mid throat.

The second is more strong and robust in taste it carries a balance of deeper very light bitter raison tastes slightly more dominant than sweeter lighter tastes. The overall taste is quite clean though. The mouthfeel is heavier in the mouth and ends nice and sticky. The aftertaste has a bitter deep barely menthol taste. The qi is light and gently moves throughout the body and mind.

Third has deep raison light bitters dominating with still a light fruity edge. The mouthfeel continues in the throat and is still light but stimulating. The aftertaste is of deep grape tastes. This tea is very clean, bright, deep, nice.

When one went to order this tea it was all but sold out.  Ended up settling with another Second Flush that has proven marvelous over many different brewing perimeters.

Peace

2013 Dooteriah Estate FTGFOP 1CH First Flush Darjeeling Tea

Dooteriah Estate is located in the Darjeeling East producing area. For one reason or another this tea is not available for purchase on Lochan Tea's web page although they are the ones who gifted this sample.

The dry leaves smell of rich creamy mineral almost milky chocolate notes. This odour is mixed with smooth rolling subtly smooth floral high notes that are actually much more like more subdued medium notes in the mix.

The first pot reveals a smooth fruity taste with coco notes as low notes and distinct fruity banana and apricot fruity notes as higher notes. These tastes start to immediately turn a touch brackish in the mouth. The taste is a touch thin and watery but follow up with a crisp coco note which further thins into a muddled tropical fruity taste. The mouthfeel is a touch thin and is chalky in the front of the mouth and tongue.

The second pot reveals more brackish, muddled fruit in slightly bitter, slightly watery coco taste. The mouthfeel reaches into the upper throat, opening it. It is chalky and slightly dry in the mouth. There is a muddled coco aftertaste which lingers for a while on the breath. A slightly sweet fruit taste pops in and out of the aftertaste as well. The qi is very alerting, slapping at the mind and sputtering in the chest.

The third pot delivers a flat, bland, barely flavourful pot. Some coco tastes that are hidden under the bland-flat base taste along with some suggestions of fruit. Some clearer tropical fruit tastes come up in the aftertaste minutes later. The mouthfeel is sticky in the front of the mouth and a just touch dry in the back.

Peace

2013 Longview Estate FTGFOP 1- EX 7‏ First Flush Darjeeling Tea

Longview Estate is situated at a relatively lower altitude in Darjeeling. The relatively moderate temperatures allow for a slightly earlier harvest time compared to estates at higher altitudes. As a general rule the quality of these teas cannot compete with that of the higher altitudes but they have been know to surprise See three short but nice posts on Longview Estate here.

This sample comes from Lochan Tea (surprise). Let us inspect the leaves as the lid of the kettle shakes in the distance...



Dry leaves smell of subtle sweet fresh dates with edges of fresh grape and florals balancing out the odour.







The first pot delivers medium notes of forest and yams and some perfumey, slightly heavy florals. It has a long distinctly floral-candy sweet aftertaste which lingers on the breath. The mouthfeel is light and leaves a viscus feeling in the mouth.





The second pot delivers a gummy, almost rubbery, but distinctly strong perfumey floral taste. The heavy perfume of flowers lingers for a while in the aftertaste with edges of sweet candy-like edges. The mouthfeel is soft and viscus and is mainly located in the mouth and tongue. The qi is uplifting and calms the mind nicely.





The third infusion tastes of Thrills gum, a grapey-soapy-floral taste of light, sugary, candy like subtle sweetness. The taste is monotone but enjoyable and creeps into the aftertaste.



The fourth offers a bland watery grapey initial taste with still substantial grapey-candy-like sweet aftertaste which lingers minutes later.



Peace

2013 Margaret's Hope FTGFOP 1 1st Flush Darjeeling Tea‏

This tea comes as another gifted sample from Lochan Tea. Like the Giddapahar SFTGFOP 1CH SPL and the Goomtee SFTGFOP 1 EX 2, this tea is also available from Tea Trekker.

This is The brightly coloured dry leaves give off bright sweet-lime high notes with a soft high piercing quality to them.

These leaves are steeped up and the inital taste is of strong, sweet, sugary high notes. There are pure mango tastes in there as well. The taste is light pure and vibrant. The mouthfeel is slick and makes the mouth salivate. The fruity notes stretch into the breath. Saliva pools in the mid throat.

The second steeping brings out more middle foresty-chalky notes that meld with muted mango fruity notes that appear more on the breath in the aftertaste. This tea has a nice harmonious tone to it.

The third pot is a creamy, smooth, very fruity-mango taste with creamy hits of nuts underneath. The creamy furity taste is very long and lingers on the breath even minutes later. There are faint floral notes that linger in the mix as well. The qi of this tea is just as smooth, undulating like a wave throughout the body.

Peace

2013 Badamtam SFTGFOP 1 1st Flush Darjeeling Tea

Badamtam Estate is located in Darjeeling's West Area. It is the source of this sample gifted by Lochan Tea...


The dry leaves smell of musky, rich, pungent, foresty-deep fruity scents. There is a slight coco note that lingers in the many low notes of these leaves.

The first pot is steeped up and an initial tastes of soft, gentle, watery, creamy vague, maybe pear or papaya, fruits linger softly in the mouth. These tastes slowly evolve into soft creamy, smooth deep forest and slight coco tastes. The mouthfeel is smooth here too. It has a very quite roundness about it in the mouth and is mainly felt on the tongue.

The second infusion has an initial taste is once again very smooth and quiet with some creamy fruity notes that meld with a soft creamy bitterness. The notes of these tea are deep but harmonious, showing no high note range but rather a continuous, very simple, deeper fruity measure of taste. The mouthfeel has become more coarse in the mouth and tugs at the mid-throat, drying it slightly. An aftertaste develops of slightly bitter, wood and coco.

The third infusion is now intermixed with almost creamy foresty-coco bitter notes with the arrival of simple fruity notes later in the profile. The fruity notes are flat and intermingle with a wood taste.

Peace

2013 Goomtee SFTGFOP 1- EX 2 First Flush Darjeeling Tea

 This tea was gifted by Lochan Teas. This tea is available from them or alternatively it is also available from Tea Trekker. Tea Trekker does a great job of vetting only the best first flush teas. Often the first flush teas Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss choose to sell are also some of ones most enjoyable. This is one of the reasons why tea shops in North America have their place. Goomtee Estate makes fine first flush teas consistently year to year, this year is no different...

The dry leaves emit a very light, juicy sweet, full on grapey assault of the senses. These same mix of multicoloured leaves also have a distant floral quality and a pungent foresty feel under the distinctly grape odour.

The first pot is steeped up and a very pure, light, smooth sweetness is found in the initial taste followed by a gradual evolution towards very soft tangerine and grape notes. There are very light but fresh forsest and candy sweet notes in there as well but are much less recognizable then the others. The mouthfeel is as soft and delicate as the taste, just faintly covering the tongue. In the aftertaste a barely recognizable bitterness starts to develop.

The second infusion delivers strong, pure uncomplicated grape tastes at the onset. These grape tastes evolve into deeper grape tastes. The flavour isn't overly complicated and deep, but rather pure and distinct. The mouthfeel is more full in this infusion filling the tongue with a light, airy, sticky quality that reaches into the throat and gets caught in the gums. The qi is also very light and uplifting as it moves freely throughout the body. Only very slight edges of any bitter appear in the aftertaste but are almost unrecognizable.

The third infusion the light, fresh, pure grape notes are still obvious but become just slightly more muddled. The aftertaste develops a light candy sweetness over a slightly muddled grape-foresty, barely bitter taste. The mouthfeel is fullest, now coating the whole mouth and even mid throat in a very light, airy but substantial coating.

The fourth infusion pushes out much the same but much less vibrant now and more brackish, almost rubbery tasting. There is still the dominant taste of grape even this late into the session.

Peace

2013 Rohini FTGFOP 1 CL- EX 03 First Flush Darjeeling and An Explanation of Darjeeling Lot Abbreviations

This tea is one of two 2013 first flush samples from Rohini Estate that was gifted by Lochan Teas. This sample contains the abbreviation "EX 03" and the other "DJ 01". The Lochans explain the differences between these teas:

"The main difference between the Rohini DJ 01 and Rohini EX 03 is the age difference. The EX 03 was manufactured and purchased several days before the DJ 01. The industry difference between EX and DJ lots is the sizes. DJ lots are typically 100 kilos or more while EX lots are less than 100 kilos. When a garden wants / is forced to sell part lots of a particular tea in Darjeeling, it marks that particular lot as an EX lot."

On their website they also have a DJ 11 lot for sale.

Let's boil the kettle and see what this tea has in store for us...

Opening the package reveals sweet-pungent-creamy-muted scents. There are layers of savory-sharp-rubbery notes in the bouquet as well. Leaves are stemy, rolled and crushed leaves that are in faded greens- both light and dark.

The first infusion is steeped and very light, watery, barely sweet initial taste arrives first. It has empty floral edges and hints at distant, faint mango and tomato tastes. The mouthfeel is soft and slightly drying in the mouth. It is particularly felt on the tongue and upper throat. The upper throat stimulated just a little. A sensation in the head is felt immediately, the qi is also felt gripping at the stomach. There is a soft rubbery aftertaste lingering in the mouth followed minutes later by a faint nutty taste.

The second infusion is more of a creamy-bland-wood-caramel initial taste. It turns to bitter-astringent- muddled grape notes. The mouthfeel is astringent and dry. A faint rubbery-muted-brackish grape note lingers in the aftertaste among the dry-sticky mouthfeel. One breaks into a sweat from the heavy qi of this tea ones stomach feels raw. Minutes later the aftertaste looses its rubbery taste leaving long, simple, florals in the throat. The strong qi makes the mind swirl.

The third infusion is a light, watery, bland tutti-frutti taste with simple vanilla taste that fades fast into a dry-bland-watery taste. Some faint floral vanilla notes appear and disappear on the breath, a pear flavour develops.

Peace