Hello Tea Friends.
Darjeeling, one of the most famous tea growing regions in the world. Did you know tea produced in Darjeeling accounts for 7% of India’s total tea export? I love to read and learn about tea, there are some great facts on Wikipedia.
The Tea Shelf specialise in Indian teas from source and offer worldwide shipping. A new company to me but they offer worldwide shipping and have a wonderful selection on their site.
The tea I will be reviewing is Uper Fagu Darjeeling Oolong. Upper Fagu is a tea garden in Gorubathan, Darjeeling. This particular sample was picked in 2015 and is second flush with a silver tip grade. I did my best to try and break it down and explain where this tea comes from and what it is. The packet contains a lot of this information which is always useful to buyers.
Opening the packet and scooping some leaves into my hands I see long, thin leaves with a natural curl in a mixture of earthy green and brown colours with plenty of silver tips. The tips also have downy hairs. They bare a dry and floral scent with a touch of fruit.
Steeping Parameters: 1 teaspoon of leaf, 95C water. 3 minute steep.
Once steeped the tea soup is golden and light in colour with a sweet floral and fruit scent, very similar to it’s raw form.
The first few sips reveal a clean, peony base with a nutty, dry aftertaste. Further sips reveal a crisp citrus with honeyed tones. It becomes thicker in strength as it cools slightly.
Overall it’s delicate but very refined. A very nice example of a Darjeeling Oolong. Very nice tea and a company I will certainly be looking at in the future if this is the calibre of what they have to offer.
Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tea Shelf
Description: One of the finest oolongs of Darjeeling, the aroma of dark chocolate envelopes your senses, reminiscent of a cold wintry day! The leaves are springy with a moss like mosaic of silver and copper. The infusion shows another surprise with individual leaves clearly visible with bright colours of copper and mauve. The chocolate experience continues but now coupled with citrus and fruity notes. The steeped leaves give way to a gorgeous sunset yellow cup, which is very brisk on the palate with notes of jasmine and citrus, which linger on.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Uper Fagu Darjeeling Oolong from The Tea Shelf
I’ve not come across many Oolongs from Darjeeling in the years I’ve been drinking tea, but the ones I have tried have always been something special. This one is no exception.
It starts with the leaf, which in appearance reminds me a lot of a first flush darjeeling (although it’s actually a second) crossed with a very fresh white peony. The are a high predominance of downy silver buds, some verging more on silver or pale green, plus some brown-ish-copper leaves. The scent is sweet and lightly jasmine.
Initially, the taste is subtle and fairly mineral, in the way that some lighter or green oolongs can be. There’s a distinctive citrus flavour in the mid-sip – it reminds me most of grapefruit, with a slightly sharp/sour tang. There’s also some of the muscatel flavour you’d typically associate with a second flush darjeeling, and the pairing is an unusual and inspiring one. As it cools. a hint of dark chocolate starts to emerge, although it’s mostly confined to the very end of the sip and it doesn’t linger long. 
Despite the scent, I didn’t detect any floral flavours in the actual tea, which is a small relief because it’s already quite busy. In terms of mouthfeel, it’s lightly brisk but doesn’t cross over into astringency, despite being slightly drying on the palate.
I enjoyed this one. I’ve discovered that I like Oolongs from Darjeeling in general, and they often have some of the more unique flavour profiles. Mineral, grapefruit, and chocolate don’t sound like they should work together very well, but, somehow, they do. If you enjoy either Darjeeling or Oolong, this one is definitely worth a look.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tea Shelf
Description
One of the finest oolongs of Darjeeling, the aroma of dark chocolate envelopes your senses, reminiscent of a cold wintry day! The leaves are springy with a moss like mosaic of silver and copper. The infusion shows another surprise with individual leaves clearly visible with bright colours of copper and mauve. The chocolate experience continues but now coupled with citrus and fruity notes. The steeped leaves give way to a gorgeous sunset yellow cup, which is very brisk on the palate with notes of jasmine and citrus, which linger on.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Glendale Nilgiri Oolong by The Tea Shelf
I wanted something calming to drink tonight and this sample intrigued me. An Indian oolong? I have had black tea from India and green tea from India, but I don’t recall ever having an Indian oolong, and I believe this may even be my first Nilgiri. Well, I’m game! Let’s try it!
The dry leaves have such a soothing aroma. At first I thought it was a floral scent, but the more I inhaled the more I thought of sweet pastries in a glass case releasing their scent when you open the case to take one out, like a breath of sugar and vanilla and spice. I would be all over a candle that smelled like this. I would burn it all the time and fill my house with this scent.
The tea is fairly light in color, about what I expect from a oolong tea. First impression – a light, wet oolong/green flavor that is followed by a bloom of the honey and golden raisin notes, with a dry and lightly spicy follow up that lingers and makes you reach for the cup to sip again.
I really enjoyed trying this! It reminds me of a whisper of Golden Monkey melded with a spicy green tea. Fun!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tea Shelf
Description:
A specialty tea, these curly chocolate leaves have inherited a rich and spicy aroma. The soft and delicate flavors of cinnamon and honey roll through your palate, giving you the much needed boost for when you’re under the weather.
Learn more about this tea and tea company here!
Palampore from The Tea Shelf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tea Shelf
Tea Description:
This whole leaf tea comes from the beautiful Kangra Valley nestled in the lower slopes of the Dhauladhar Range in the Himalayas. Wiry, green and olive, these short vermicelli shaped leaves exude a distinct aroma of mountain flowers, with a prominent lavender nose. Once brewed, it envelops you with delicate citrus notes and an explosion of flower bouquet, with a delightfully long after taste. A special tea with a lot of depth.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow. Just Wow. This is going to be a memorable tea for sure.
If you aren’t familiar with them, The Tea Shelf was founded in 2014 by a team of tea lovers who wanted to convert the world to tea drinkers. A very worthy mission indeed!
The Palampore is a lovely black tea that gives you the warm fuzzies from the very beginning. If I hadn’t read about the tea, at first glance, I would have thought this tea was a green/black tea varietal. The tea leaves are very reminiscent of those blends.
Brewed up per the instructions on the package, I allowed the tea to cool for a few moments before diving in and getting into the brew. What hits you first is the malty notes with a slightly astringent tone. Next is this smooth well balanced silky feel coats your tongue. Towards the end of the sip are slight hints of a floral notes. I am not really picking up the citrus notes like the description says but I’m a-ok with that. This tea is marvelous. One that really gives you the tea fuzzies and makes you remember why you love tea so much. The taste really envelopes you into a soothing and calming setting giving you a moment to really sit back and enjoy the moment!
Thurbo Moonlight from The Tea Shelf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tea Shelf
Tea Description:
A signature spring harvest tea from the mystical hills of Darjeeling, the fluffy soft textured admixture of single leaves, both rolled and open, are complete with bright silver buds. The light golden liquid is a very clean tasting tea, with a subtle floral bouquet accompanied by notes of apple and honey. A remarkable tea which expresses itself beautifully.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea’s pouch was one of those teas that I happily found int he back of my tea stash. One of the problems with having a nice large stash of tea, teas seem to hide and almost get forgotten. I was excited to see I still had a few offerings from The Tea Shelf to try. So far, I’ve enjoyed checking out their selection.
From the very first looks of this tea, it looks just bright and happy. The tea leaves are a gorgeous light green with twinges of yellow popping thru here and there. Just a tea that screams for spring to come back to us here in the Midwest.
Brewed up per the package instructions, this tea’s brew has such a gorgeous color, a really lovely amber coloring. First sip in and this tea is just spot on. All of those gorgeous slightly vegetal notes combined with a subtle malty flavor with hints of a floral touch. A really nice complex cuppa that gives you a variety of different flavors in each sip. I would almost say this tea is a nice cross between a black, white, and green tea.
I’ll be sipping on this tea for some time. Just gorgeous and hitting on the right notes for me today! Yum!