Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Lochan Tea Limited
About Lochan Tea Limited:
Your taste, your enjoyment is what this tea site is all about. Our job is to share the best products we can provide for you — and also to expand your experience with our enthusiasm for the history, the culture and the never-ending discoveries about tea and the human experience.
We bring you more than a commodity but rather the experience of the leaf, which is magical, and at the same time transcending and yet very grounded in the earth. The beautiful Darjeeling region has given rise to a unique and beautiful product that you can appreciate on all these levels. The stories of nearly two centuries in India, all are captured in a cup of tea, for those eager to see it. Let’s take this journey together.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m usually in the mood for a good Darjeeling, and this Dooteriah SFTGFOP 1 First Flush Darjeeling Tea from Lochan Tea Limited certainly qualifies as a good Darjeeling!
Generally speaking, when it comes to Darjeeling teas, I prefer a second flush to a first flush, because I love that muscatel note that the second flush is known for. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate a good first flush when I find one. And I’m enjoying this one.
The flavor is very crisp and clean. I notice background notes of flower and some woodsy notes, with foreground notes of fruit. I’d consider this a medium bodied tea. It’s got an enjoyable lightness to it, my palate feels refreshed as I sip it.
This is one of the more astringent Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted in some time, and there is some bitterness, so I recommend watching the brew time (I recommend 2 minutes) and a lower temperature when brewing (I recommend 190°F). This will help keep the bitterness to a minimum.
Overall, a fine Darjeeling, but if you’re one who tends to shy away from astringent teas, this one might not be for you. However, if you’re a fan of Darjeeling teas like I am, you should try this one.
Dreamsicle Darjeeling Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Orange you glad we didn’t just do another ho-hum Orange tea? Oh, my darjeelings, we couldn’t do that to you!
Instead, here’s a blend of real Margaret’s Hope Estate Darjeelings blended with real orange peel and natural orange and cream flavors. It’s a Dreamsicle Darjeeling. There’s some purists out there who might find it an outrage that we would create a flavored blend with what is known as the “Champagne of teas”, but we’re not scared. Give this a shot and you’ll be wondering why no one has attempted it before.
Just remember that Darjeeling is a bit more delicate than most black teas. Some tea nerds would argue that it is technically an oolong, as it is only oxidized about 90%. The upshot of all of this is that you have to steep it in water just below the boiling point (180-190°) for three to four minutes only.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m actually *revisiting* this tea because I can’t seem to find a review from the first time I tasted it. I may or may not have reviewed this tea from the original batch – but regardless – here’s my review for the reblended batch that was released about the same time that 52Teas announced their VIT (Very Important Tea): Dreamsicle Puerh as their special release for their fundraising campaign.
But I certainly don’t mind revisiting this Dreamsicle Darjeeling Black Tea, it’s one of my all time favorites from 52Teas. I was so happy to see that Frank (Chief Zoomdweebie over at 52Teas) decided to reblend this tea!
Unfortunately, as with nearly all reblends from 52Teas, I can’t say that this Dreamsicle Darjeeling is as memorable as the original batch. Oh, this reblended batch still makes a tasty cup of tea, but it just isn’t quite as … “dreamy” as I remember.
This has plenty of orange flavor, it’s the vanilla tones that I think are lacking. This is not as creamy as I’d like it to be. However, I do get a really nice flavor from the Darjeeling – it’s crisp and I am getting some wine-like, fruity notes that are distinctly Darjeeling-esque. I also taste some of the woodsy notes of the Darjeeling.
The orange adds a nice brightness to the cup, and it tastes very much like the orange I would taste on the outside of the Dreamsicle treat, it’s sweet and refreshing. I do taste some vanilla notes, I am just wishing I tasted more, and I think that just a little more vanilla would give this a more “Dreamsicle” taste.
Overall – it’s good! Just not as amazing as I remember the original batch tasting.
Darjeeling de Triomphe Black Tea from Teavana
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Teavana
Tea Description:
Glasses lifted high in moments of celebratory triumph- the inspiration for this most coveted ‘champagne of teas.’ Refreshingly young black tea leaves, featuring vibrant gradients of green colors yield a high content of silvery tips and buds. Each and every single leaf is scrutinized for purity in taste and features a harvest of the first flush of leaves from six of our bountiful private reserve tea gardens. Taste a floral aromatic sweet ending with each sip of this victorious crème de la crème of Darjeelings.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I wanted to … I really, really wanted to! I wanted to hate this Darjeeling de Triomphe Black Tea from Teavana. I admit it. I usually go in to my tea tastings with as open a mind as I possibly can, but, I have to admit that I am not particularly fond of Teavana.
I don’t like that when I enter a Teavana store, I am greeted by and then pressured to buy … by a clerk that most likely knows relatively little about the tea they are selling in the store. I don’t like that Teavana is grossly overpriced and that coupled with the fact that they try to “ounce your wallet to death” by adding just a little bit more than the 2 ounces you’re buying and then asking, innocently “is that alright?”
And then they try to upsell you an overpriced tin by telling you that is the way you have to store the tea. You walk into a store, expecting to pay maybe $25 and you end up leaving with $95 less in your bank account because of their sneaky upsell tactics. (These things don’t happen when you’re shopping online with them, just an FYI.)
Finally, I didn’t like that this particular tea – this Darjeeling I’m sipping now – is one of their pricier teas. It’s marked $19.98 for TWO ounces! That’s insanity.
OK … ok … I’m stepping off my tea box now.
There are a lot of things that are wrong with Teavana … but there are some things right with them too. I like that they’re opening up the public awareness to tea. More and more people are learning more about tea – that there’s more to tea than that yellow, white and red box that has been sitting on the grocery store shelf for the last year. That is definitely a positive aspect of this company. I just wish … they were less “corporate.” Tea should be a passion, not a bottom line.
Anyway … on to my thoughts about this tea. It really is good, despite my desire to dislike it. I just can’t. It’s a mighty fine Darjeeling. Is it better than some others that I’ve tried that are less expensive than this one? No, it isn’t. But it is still a good Darjeeling.
It’s a six estate blend of first flush teas. So, we have a nice fruity tone to this cup, but not as much muscatel as you would experience with a second flush. There are some really nice floral tones to this tea and it has a pleasantly crisp taste with a fair amount of cleansing astringency. My mouth feels clean after a sip.
With each sip, I experience a nice complexity. There are layers of wood tones, earth, high notes of flower, and sweet fruit notes. It’s a really nice cuppa.
My final thoughts on this tea? It’s a good Darjeeling. It is a blend, though, so it certainly doesn’t deserve the price tag with which it’s been marked. If this were a single estate tea and Teavana was working closely with the farmers to ensure quality and if it were an organic and fair trade selection, then I might be able to understand the high price on this one. But, for a six estate blended first flush? No. I can’t in good conscience recommend it to you. It’s good, but there are better teas out there.
Makaibari Bai Mu Dan White Tea from Tea People
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tea Description:
Makaibari tea estate is situated in a town called Kurseong in the district of Darjeeling. Kurseong means the land of the ‘white orchid’ in the local language. From the land of the white orchid is produced the exquisite ‘White Magnolia’. This tea is made from the delicate unopened leaves of the plant and undergoes the least processing among all the teas. This is the reason why the infused leaves seem to come alive again yielding the palest liquor yearning to be sipped. When it touches your lips, your palate comes alive with a light chestnut flavour. The sweet aftertaste lingers on forever.
Makaibari tea estate located in the foothills of the Himalayas is an organically certified tea estate where the tea is grown at an altitude of around 4500ft.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Bai Mu Dan tea is one of those teas that when I drink it … I think to myself: it’s been a long time since I’ve had a Bai Mu Dan. It may not actually have been that long, but, it’s one of those teas that I miss when a day or two has passed and I haven’t had it.
I love the sweet, delicate quality of a good Bai Mu Dan. And what makes this Makaibari Bai Mu Dan White Tea from Tea People different is that it is grown in the Darjeeling district, so I think that technically makes it a “Darjeeling” white tea, even though the leaves resemble a very high quality Bai Mu Dan. These aren’t those crumbly, brown leaves that some companies pass off as a Bai Mu Dan. These leaves are a gorgeous pale green, and if you look closely, you can see the soft, fuzzy down on these leaves. The leaves are large and beautiful.
My first sip of this tea evoked thoughts of the taste of a dewdrop, like what I might taste if I were to drink the dew off a fresh, new spring leaf. After that initial sip, I started to notice other flavors developing.
As the above description suggests, there is a light nutty flavor to this white tea, reminiscent of that creamy taste of a freshly roasted chestnut. There are slight notes of earth to this as well as a hay-like note and a background of delicious melon.
The overall taste is light and refreshing. It is sweet and relaxing to sip. A really beautiful white tea! If I were asked to list my all time favorite Bai Mu Dan teas, this one would land at the top of the list. It’s one I’d recommend to all the white tea fans out there.
Namring 2nd Flush Darjeeling Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
Grown high in the Teesta valley at the base of the Himalayas, this 2nd flush brews up with the famed muscatel aroma associated with high grade Darjeelings. A classic afternoon tea.
Learn more about Steepster Select here.
Taster’s Review:
Lovely! I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again anyway … I love second flush Darjeeling teas. And this Namring 2nd Flush Darjeeling Tea from Upton Tea Imports is a delightful example of why I adore them.
It has a pleasant fruity character that is reminiscent of a wine. I taste black currant and grape! These fruit notes deliver sweetness and a hint of tart. There is a somewhat tannic quality to this tea that is also reminiscent of that aforementioned wine, and it finishes with a dry astringency.
But when it comes to a second flush Darjeeling, it’s really all about that muscatel note. And this has a really lovely muscatel. It’s sweet and fruity. Notes of wood. Subtle hints of earth. Everything melds together in a very enjoyable way, bringing those delectable fruit notes forward, while the earthier tones fill in the background.
It’s a very elegant tasting tea, one that would be a good choice to serve to friends. A nice afternoon tea.
Another wonderful tea brought to me by Steepster Select!