An Enormous Tea Storage Jar By Shin Hyun Churl

This jar is the biggest one has ever seen! To give you a reference on size, it came up to around ones waist. You could surely store a small child in here or, better yet, a tonne of tea!

This massive white jar doesn't overwhelm though. Its soft natural white glaze beautifully drapes over its ash flecked sides in noticeable but not standoutish globs. Along with the ornate, signature Shin Hyun Churl lotus flower knob and a few ridges that circumnavigate the base, this pieces does its best to balance its massive size and makes some strides toward grace.

Peace

A Gas Fired Tang Gwan (Tetsubin) By Lee Tae Ho

Peace

Moving Tea

The above picture of cherry blossoms in full bloom was taken through a rain soaked window at the end of March this year in Victoria, British Colombia, Canada. How beautiful they were tossing about in the trees, covered in drops of rain.

This city, the tea capital of Canada, will be ones home for the time being. One should arrive tomorrow, the tea will arrive in about a weeks time.

Peace

2009 Margaret's Hope Estate FTGFOP 1 CH (SPL) 1st Flush Darjeeling

One tried a 2007 second flush offering from Margaret's Hope estate a while back and thought it an interesting tea. The write up on Lochan Tea's site on how this estate got its name is worthy of a read. Hopefully the story of this tea isn't as heartwrenching...

The dry leaves seem to contain more chocolate brown coloured leaves and present one with a smell of deep foresty muscatel. Within this, there is a hidden floral sweetness that reminds one of the turning spring.

One mindfully prepares this tea, scooping the leaves out of the foil with bamboo. The sound of the leaves hitting the bottom of the pot further relaxes ones mind. The sound of hot water hitting that same bottom pushes ones mind deeper.

One sips at this tea from little Korean ceramic cups. The first time one brewed this tea using the same perimeters as the other first flushes, it didn't turn out so well. One added less leaf this time. And upon first sip it seems much better. There is a nice full soft coating mouthfeel with very floral taste and backnotes of classic Darjeeling muscatel where last session just held a smokey, bitterness without much taste at all. The colour of the liquor is not so vibrant, a gritty yellow, an 'intoxicated morning after urine' kind of gritty yellow.

The second infusion is good and tastes much like when one brewed it with more leaf but this time there isn't the strong overpowering bitterness. There is still a slight tail of bitterness in the mouth that it is just as noticeable but not as strong. This is a very Darjeeling cup of tea with a nice balance of flower, grape, and muscatel. By the second infusion ones stomach grumbles under the mean energy of this tough tea.

The third infusion is chalky, gritty, and mostly bitter which trumps most of its nice flavor. This tea dies before it even gets going. Unfortunately, less leaf doesn't prevent the inevitable. By the time the third infusion comes along there really isn't much left of this tea.

Nonetheless, one pushes on with this now almost flavorless tea. If anything this tea teaches us to savor what we got while we have it. So when we don't, we'll appreciate it all the more.

This tea would benefit from the old English style of making tea. Its suffering is only agonized by the flogging gong fu session.

Peace

2009 Jungpana SFTGFOP1 1st Flush Darjeeling

Lochan teas offer quite the writeup on Jungpana, rightly so.

Sniffing this dry leaf from the just opened packet one comes across very sweet smooth high notes that are slightly fruity and flowery. These notes are powerful. There is no greenish or muscatel smell in these very multi-coloured 'anything goes' mix of leaves.

These leaves go in, the hot water follows, out comes the tea.

First infusion results in an exceptionally mellow flowery taste. Back notes suggest a stronger fruitiness in infusions to come. There is something more 'black tea', more oxidized, more 2nd flush, more classic Darjeeling about this one that makes it quite enjoyable.

The next infusions create a yellow liquor that is dark and rich with a sweet honey-grape with flowers taste. It seems to lack an overpowering muscatel or deep forest taste which makes room for these higher notes. The mouthfeel is drying but not overbearing. This tea is mellow, flavourful, and very spring-like.

Because this tea has no deep bottom, unfortunately, it drops off fast. Grainy, dry honey sweetness is pretty much all that is left after just a handful of infusions. While, it was good while it lasted.

Peace

2009 Thurbo Estate Imperial Delight 1st Flush Darjeeling

One has tried this tea many years back and enjoyed it so.

This estate in the center of Mirik pumps out a lot of good tea and has a larger garden then most to pick from. That could be a reason why tea from Thurbo Estate seems more readily available to tea drinkers.

Lets heat up some water and give it a try...

The leaves smell of dry bittersweet depth with an overarching 'green' character. There is a pungent spiciness that almost burns in the nose. They are a nice mix of whitish hairy tips that compliment greener small leaves.

These leaves are filed into the pot, the hot water is added, sip.... sip...

In the first few infusions sweetness explodes into a grainy, pungent wine-like grape flavours. Spiciness and faint flowers seem to compliment the bouquet of this fine wine... uhmm... tea. This flavour is quite individual, unique for a Darjeeling. The mouth is alerted to a full coating. An energy that is powerful and bright coasts through the body. In an instant you know that this tea is good.

The next infusions bring a grainy, almost melon-grape flavour. It's this fermented taste that lingers under all of this that makes this tea. The staunch mouthfeel doesn't hurt either.

It doesn't take long before this tea really smooths out becoming gentle as it wears on. Conversely, its built up cha qi is likely to push one into distraction rather than concentration. Near the end the distraction is welcomed as no flavor is left to cherish.

Peace

2009 Castleton Estate FTGFOP 1CH (SPL) 1st Flush Darjeeling

When one thinks of Castleton one recalls a conversation between Mr. Rowatt, the manager of Goomtee and Mr. Lochan, the founder of Lochan teas. They were snickering about a customer that either did or was going to mix both Goomtee Estate tea and Castleton Estate tea and try to sell it as Goomtee-Castleton tea. That was rather an interesting idea, mixing some teas together to achieve a more complete or interesting taste. Hummm....

Aways, lets try this Castleton Estate exclusive tea produced at altitudes between 980-2300 meters.

The dry leaves are a vibrant, light, foresty colour and are finely scented with very little muscatel, a touch of grape. These leaves seem lighter green than others and the product has a very full leaf look and feel.

The first infusion is prepared and results in a soft dry grape. A green high forest grape. Immediately the mouth is coated. This in itself is as alluring as its taste.

The second infusion explores this dryness and results in a mouth puckering liquid that, in all honesty is a bit over the top. This tea develops a gritty bitterness, with nice dry, high up in the forested Himalaya, grape taste.

In the third infusion everything just comes together. It was one of those tea moments when everything just works. The shallow but alerting cha qi kicks in. Its mouthfeel now becomes full but manageable. The taste is a mix of deep forest and grape. It creates a wild-in-the-jungle grapelike taste. These tastes are light and mingle about with sincerity in the mouth.

Other infusions result in similarly respectable pots of tea. The taste becomes grittier and more wild. This tea does a good job of staying tasty and full but, as expected, becomes a bit more diluted as the session progresses. It finishes nicely quite possibly due to such a good leaf which is evident in the photos.

A good session it was with this tea from Castleton Estate.

Peace