For many European tea lovers there is no better way to celebrate Easter than to sip a nice cup of the vibrantly fresh 2013 Darjeeling 1st Flush harvest. It just happens to be that one had received a handful of 2013 samples from Lochan Teas last week, the first of this years harvest. This sample from Giddapahar Estate looks interesting, it also has sentimental value as one had visited the Estate in 2009 as the very first batch of first flush tea was just being finished off.
The dry leaves are very light, fresh, soft and contain a persistent key lime sweetness from the vibrant bright mix of green leaves over less flashy green browns.
The first infusion delivers very smooth, soft greeny forest taste which converts into overtones of a pungent sweet-green onion-like taste. It has a watery mouthfeel that swells at the cheeks and sides of the tongue. It stimulates the mid- and deep throat. There is a slight tart coco and more noticeable walnut taste under the flat sweetness of the aftertaste. Minutes later there is a soft sour bready taste in the mouth.
The second infusion gives off sour-sweet-watery, barely grape taste which is quite simple. These tastes are advanced by a mouthfeel which opens the mid-to-deep throat- simple sweet tastes pool here. A slight brackish-sweet almost woody aftertaste develops over light-sweet-green notes in the aftertaste. Qi is very light, airy, just uplifting but not overdone. It feels relaxing in some ways... drinking this pot as the sun sets on this extraordinarily warm night.
The third infusion is light, watery, and muted now in its initial taste. The mouthfeel is softer and more expansive. Most complexities now reside in the aftertaste which is vibrant and long with flowery tastes leading the way with light, sweet bread notes in there as well. The mouthfeel moves from the throat in previous infusions to the tongue and makes it slightly-sticky-gritty.
Peace
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