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

Yunnan Sourcing Tasting Event Beta (2013 Yunnan Sourcing Yinxiang)

This is another tasting from the Yunnan Sourcing/ Half-Dipper Tasting Event that was held so so long ago...

The dry leaves are a mix of whites, browns, greens, light and dark. They emit an odour of creamy, rich, sweet fruity notes with a fluffy penetrating odour.

First infusion tastes of sweet creamy full tastes flaked by strong smoky odours. There is an underlying juicy fruity taste. The mouthfeel is full in the front mouth and gives off mainly a smokey aftertaste with some plumy notes hiding under.

The second infusion tastes of sweet pear and plumb. There are still smoky tastes but they linger more in the back throat. The taste is a bit flat and bland saliva pools just slightly in the upper throat even though not much of a throatfeel is noticed.

The third infusion is a mild, slight flat but nicely fruity taste of sweet plumbs and distant florals. The sweet taste hogs much of the profile despite its slightly monotone taste. The dominating fruity taste echos in the mouth minutes later.

The fourth infusion is much the same with long monotone sweet fruity notes. There is still some smoke in there as well. Now woody notes pop up there and the mouthfeel becomes slightly drier. The fruit tastes become clearer in the aftertaste which now shares room with light woody tastes.

In the sixth infusion offers nice fruity tastes with still that same base of smoke. The fruit tastes become more tropical in the aftertaste bananas and papaya tastes.

The seventh is sweet, slightly spicy, but mainly light and fruity. There is a slight woody base and slightly expanse aftertaste.

Guess: Forgot to write guess in tasting notes

Actual: 2013 Yinxiang (it seems to be currently unavailable)

Peace