Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
This is a tea sweet with floral-fruity notes and a classic first flush briskness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Usually, I prefer a second flush Darjeeling over a first flush, but, I’m really liking this Risheehat Organic Darjeeling First Flush 2013 SFTGFOP1 from Happy Earth Tea. It has an appealing balance of fruit and flower notes and a crisp, clean taste.
The leaves are a bit darker than the photo above suggests, and they brew a light golden brown liquid. The aroma of the tea is sweet and flowery.
The flavor is light and has a crispness to it that is very “Darjeeling-esque” … you know what I mean? That light, somewhat astringent, crisp flavor that Darjeeling teas are known for? Yeah, that. I like how clean my mouth feels after I take a sip.
The flavor is sweet and there are notes of fruit that are somewhat reminiscent of grapes. This does have a faint muscatel to it, although it isn’t as muscatel-ish as you’d find in a typical second flush. There are also subtle woodsy notes. It’s a very pleasantly complex cuppa. The finish reminds me of a fine wine.
It is unfortunate (but not surprising!) that this tea is sold out for 2013. I highly recommend keeping your eye on the Happy Earth Tea website when spring comes for the 2014 harvest, because this tea is well worth the effort! It’s a good one!
Organic Sungma FTGFOP-1 Black Tea from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
Sungma – This is one of the most respected tea estates in Darjeeling. This black Darjeeling tea offering produces a wonderfully balanced liquor. This is what you come to expect from top tea estates in taste and aroma.
This grade of tea “FTGFOP-1” stands for “Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe #1”. This tea is hand processed, with one quarter of it consisting of tips.
A joke among tea aficionados is that “FTGFOP” stands for “Far Too Good For Ordinary People” so try this tea and welcome to the ranks of the privileged.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Of the information that is provided for this tea, the one thing that is missing is which flush Organic Sungma FTGFOP-1 Black Tea from Kally Tea was harvested. But the flavor suggests to me that this is most likely a first flush. In my experience, the second flush Darjeeling teas tend to possess more of that “muscatel” taste while the first flush tends to be a little more woodsy.
And this tea does have more of that woodsy kind of flavor to it. In the dry leaf aroma, that’s the first thing I picked up on was a woodsy kind of fragrance, reminding me of the scent one might experience while walking through a heavily wooded forest just after it rained, when the scent of the trees is really prolific. The brewed tea has some of this fragrance as well, but it isn’t as pronounced as it is in the dry leaf.
The flavor – as I’ve already mentioned – is also woodsy. It also does have some delightful floral notes in the distance, and some sweet fruity notes that seem to emerge as the tea cools slightly. The first couple of sips that I tasted, I didn’t really notice a lot of fruit or flower to this cup, but now that it’s had a few minutes to cool to a drinkable temperature, I notice more of the fruity tones and floral notes.
But mostly what I notice here is an earthy, woodsy tone. It is crisp and focused. The mouthfeel is pleasant, and the flavor is uplifting. The fruit notes provide more of a sweetness than a real distinct, identifiable fruit flavor, and it isn’t exactly a muscatel-ish note. This has some astringency toward the finish, but it isn’t as dry as some Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted. It’s really quite enjoyable – a very good afternoon tea.
I don’t know that I’d say it’s Far Too Good For Ordinary People – mostly because I’m not in to arrogance like that – but it is certainly good, and I do appreciate that it’s part of Kally Tea’s organic line of teas, and it’s a good one to try if you’re looking for a good quality Darjeeling.
Jun Chiyabari Second Flush Nepal Black Tea from Single Origin Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Single Origin Teas
Tea Description:
Jun Chiyabari, a neighbor to the famous Darjeeling tea province, offers truly excellent tea. Notes of maple and floral undertones of rose bring a unique touch. One of the smaller tea estates at around 123 acres, and one of the youngest – planted in 2002! – Jun Chiyabari offers a delicious tea that highlights how high altitude growing can bring out delightful flavors if processed correctly.
Produced in hand-rolled batches with an exemplary level of care, the leaves are nicely curled, and provide a prime example of how high quality tea is not limited to the Darjeeling gardens.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Although this Jun Chiyabari Second Flush Nepal Black Tea from Single Origin Teas is not technically a Darjeeling, it still has many remarkable similarities to a Darjeeling. It has that crisp, “sparkling” taste of a Darjeeling … it is lighter in body and it has a sweet, wine-like quality that reminds me of a Darjeeling.
However, I am noticing some differences, as well. I note less muscatel-like notes here. There are some, but they seem to be more of a background note than a prominent note. There is a slight “lemon-y” quality that I notice toward the finish.
And then I notice the rose-like notes. These are lovely! It’s like an undercurrent of rose notes – not a heavy essence, but, like an ever-present wisp of rose-y flavor. The floral tones give the cup a pleasant sweetness, and there is something more to it … an almost autumnal sweetness. After reading the above description, I realized that what I noticed was the maple notes. I don’t know that what I’m tasting is a distinct maple taste, but it is a definite sweetness that has an autumn-like taste to it.
I am really glad that I tried this Jun Chiyabari tea. I’ve tried several teas from this estate and while they have all been very good teas, I am finding this one to be just a little different from the others I’ve tried. Different is good!
Organic Monk’s Blend from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
A calming, yet invigorating blend of organic Darjeeling, Keemun, Nilgiri, and Assam teas. Inspired by Tibetan Monk’s devotion on Buddhist meditation and mental and physical calm state. A wonderful tea any time of the day. The brewed cup is a wonderful deep crimson red.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, Kally Tea introduced a new line of organic teas to their already impressive collection. I was very excited to try some of these new teas from them! This Organic Monk’s Blend is the first that I’m going to sample.
And this is really good! It’s quite different than I expected from a tea called Monk’s Blend. Most of the Monk’s Blend teas that I’ve tasted have been a flavored black tea blend – specifically, most of the Monk’s Blends I’ve encountered have been flavored with grenadine and vanilla notes to give it a very sweet and creamy kind of taste. That’s not what this is at all!
Instead, this is a blend of four black teas: Nilgiri, Darjeeling, Keemun and Assam. This combination creates a really nicely balanced cup that is a little bit of everything. What I mean by that is that there is no one characteristic that describes this tea entirely. It has little bits of different qualities: earthy, sweet, woodsy, floral, smoky, fruity and malty. It isn’t bitter (although I’d be careful to avoid oversteeping this) and what little astringency there is to this is even smoother than in a typical black tea blend.
From the very first sip, I noticed how well-rounded it tastes. It is a full-flavored tea, and it has a very satisfying flavor. It is robust yet smooth, so it would make a good afternoon tea – it is soft enough around the edges – this isn’t what I’d call an edgy or aggressive tea. However, it is good and strong and invigorating … so it will give you that jump you need for those mornings when you’d rather stay tucked in bed, but you’ve gotta get going.
I am very pleased with this unique take on a Monk’s Blend … and I love that it’s ORGANIC!
Goomtee Black Dragon Oolong First Flush from Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Description:
Goomtee Black Dragon, an OOLONG comes from a prestigious tea estate of Darjeeling. Gomtee produces some of the best teas that we have tasted so far. This oolong is a stand alone tea from their house. Long semi fermented leaves when steeped for 3 minutes gives a roasted chocolate flavour which makes this tea a must try for tea lovers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
So far, the teas that I’ve tried from Darjeeling Tea Lovers have been all Darjeeling teas, so I was excited to finally be trying this Goomtee Black Dragon Oolong First Flush from them! An Oolong from the Darjeeling Region, even! Exciting!
The aroma of the dry leaf was earthy and sweet, with notes of an indistinguishable fruit … it had a fruit-like sweetness to the scent but, it was difficult to place exactly what fruit I was smelling. The brewed liquid smells more fruity … a fruit note that lies somewhere between plum and apricot and nectarine. I also smell a distinct “sweet” note that reminds me of cocoa with hints of burnt sugar.
The flavor is superb! Peach-like notes with floral hints. The promises of chocolate from the fragrance come alive in the flavor as well. Not a strong chocolate-y presence but certainly a welcome one. The chocolate notes seem to be more distinct when I aerate the sip with a slurp, so this is a tea that is definitely worth slurping! Yeah, don’t worry about it, nobody’s listening … go ahead and slurp!
The chocolate notes are not “slap you in the face” kind of chocolate notes … but, that’s OK. Yes, the chocoholic that always says more chocolate = better just said that! That’s because I love it when I find a pure tea like this that has natural notes of cocoa. This tea is pure joy!
The texture is soft and smooth and there is some astringency toward the finish. The aftertaste is sweet with just a hint of “tangy” from the stone fruit notes coming through. Subsequent infusions bring the chocolate notes into the foreground! Chocolate lovers … you’ll want to indulge in several infusions with this tea!
I am in agreement with the description above – this tea is definitely a MUST TRY for tea lovers … and for chocolate lovers too!