Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tea Description:
In Darjeeling, winter is the time for all tea plants to rest. Come spring, little leaf buds begin to appear and open amidst a flurry of activity. From these leaves is created a delicate tea meant for super connoisseurs of tea by the well known organically certified Makaibari tea estate located in the foothills of the Himalayas where the tea is grown at an altitude of around 4500ft.
The light liquor has the characteristic Darjeeling floral bouquet along with an incredible depth and complexity. Fantastic for afternoons when you need a little pick-me-up.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I want to start by apologizing to our loyal readership for going a few days with no posts! Due to an unfortunate circumstance, I found myself without a tea kettle. I accidentally broke the glass carafe (or jar) of my Breville One-Touch and I was kind of … well, not even “kind of,” I was very devastated by the loss. I was depressed. I felt like I lost one of my best friends. And that may sound sad, but, hey, when you love tea the way I do, you know how important these tools become to you. Anyway … I’m still without the glass jar momentarily and am still sad about my loss but there is good news on that horizon which I will share with you in a future post.
For now, I’m using a stove top kettle and brewing some Darjeeling Tea from Tea People. Specifically, I’m drinking this Makaibari First Flush Vintage Black Tea.
And it is a lovely Darjeeling!
The aroma of the dry leaf is very earthy with notes of wood. It reminds me a bit of the smell of a forest just after a rain: wet wood and earth with notes of peaty moss. Once brewed, I notice more of a floral note emerging, and less of the woodsy/earthy tones.
The flavor is pleasantly crisp and smooth. Darjeeling teas tend to typically be a lighter tasting and feeling tea than other black teas, and this is true with this Darjeeling as well. It has a light, uplifting flavor and texture. It glides over the palate, offering flavors of notes of earth and flower, with a sweet fruit note that is present throughout the sip.
The sip begins with a woodsy sort of flavor and a subtle undertone of fruit. The fruit notes emerge more toward mid-sip, offering a sweeter flavor. As the sip nears the finish, the sweet fruit notes meld with a floral note and hints of earth are in the background. The finish here is not quite as astringent as some Darjeeling teas that I’ve experienced, in fact, it’s a very mild astringency. The aftertaste is lightly sweet.
It’s a beautifully complex cup of tea, and it’s definitely lifting my spirits!
Organic 2014 Puttabong Darjeeling First Flush from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
A delicate floral first flush with layers of complex and exquisite notes. This tea proclaims the arrival of spring!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The more I think about it, the more I’m loving spring! My favorite season of the year is autumn, but, I’m adoring all these amazing first flush teas that I’ve had the opportunity to try this spring! And this Organic Puttabong Darjeeling First Flush from Happy Earth Tea is absolutely dee-lightful!
The dry leaf aroma is earthy with notes of flower and hints of fruit-like sweetness. The brewed tea has a delicate fragrance: very light floral and fruit notes. The earthiness is also subdued once the leaves are brewed.
The flavor is sweet and tastes much the way the scent suggests. Hints of earthy tones with a warm, woodsy note. Sweet, crisp floral notes. And just beneath the earthy/woodsy notes, I start to pick up on the fruit-like flavors. There are grape-y notes that are especially noticeable at the finish and in the aftertaste. I can feel that “tingly” sensation on the tongue from the grape notes.
This has some dry, tangy astringency develops slightly as I continue to sip. My first few sips I didn’t notice much astringency at all, and now that I’m halfway through the cup, the astringency is more obvious. The astringency and the grape-like notes give this a delicate wine-like finish.
As the tea cools, I pick up on more of those lovely grape-like notes. I find that the earth notes seem to soften, and the fruit and flower intermingle, offering a sweet, stunning flavor. I think my favorite temperature to drink this is after it’s cooled about ten minutes – it’s still on the warmer side, but not hot. Not cold. The astringency is softer at this point, and I’m enjoying a really beautiful tea with intriguing fruit notes and delicate whispers of flower that dance on the palate.
Another lovely tea from Happy Earth Tea! Really, you can’t go wrong with their selection of first flush teas – no matter which one you choose. I’d have a difficult time trying to choose a favorite!
Castleton Estate First Flush Darjeeling 2014 from Steepster
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steepster Select
Tea Description:
A new first flush black tea from one of the most respected gardens in Darjeeling. Grown from the China varietal of Camellia Sinensis, the flavors are bright and tangy with a notable balance. Castleton teas are revered for their low astringency.
Taster’s Review:
One of the things that I love about the arrival of spring is that all the first flush teas are arriving too! I’ve often mentioned my preference for a second flush Darjeeling over a first flush, but, this Castleton Estate First Flush Darjeeling 2014 from Steepster might just change my mind! This is LOVELY!
First of all … very low astringency. If you’re someone who tends to shy away from Darjeeling because they tend to be on the astringent side, this Castleton single estate might win you over. There is some dry astringency toward the tail, but, it is very mild. It’s like a subtle dry wine astringency.
The flavor is delightfully fruity. Notes of apricot and peach. Sweet notes of muscat grape … yes! Muscatel in a first flush. Not all first flush Darjeeling teas have a strong muscatel note but this one is prominent. And what I like is that even though this has a grape-y taste, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the astringency is low … this is like a wine without the astringent quality of a wine. Bonus points for that.
Usually with a Darjeeling, I taste a woodsy or earthy type of flavor, but I’m not getting a lot of that with this Darjeeling. There are hints here and there of earthy and woody notes, but mostly, this is sweet and fruity.
A really, really good first flush Darjeeling. This one gets two enthusiastic thumbs up!
Organic Singbulli Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
A well-crafted Darjeeling first flush tea, with refreshing floral and lime notes, from a garden famous for its high quality clonal teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
If you were to peek into my teacup at this moment, you wouldn’t think that the tea that I’m drinking is a ‘black’ tea. This Darjeeling is one of the lighter “black” Darjeeling teas I’ve encountered, so much so that it looks like a green … veering on the edge of almost looking like a white tea with it’s silvery tips and snowy down covering the dry leaves.
I’ve tried many different first flush Darjeeling and while I do maintain that the second flush is my preference, this Singbulli Darjeeling first flush is so good that I could change my mind as I sip this! It’s a beautiful tea experience!
As the above description suggests, I am experiencing notes of flower and bright lime notes. This is not as “wine-like” as some Darjeeling teas. This is very light and crisp, again, reminiscent of a green tea. It has a vibrant, fresh taste. (And why shouldn’t it? This tea was harvested in 2014!)
The first 1/3 of the cup, I tasted mostly the floral and lime notes, and as I approached the mid-cup point, I could taste more fruit notes start to emerge. Notes of sweet grape and a slight vegetal tone. The texture softens and becomes more silken. I notice less astringency now than I did at the start of this cup. The aftertaste has a tangy (almost tart!) citrus-y flavor.
This tea is a very clean and refreshing hot beverage. I drank about half of the pot that I prepared of this tea while it was hot, and then I allowed the rest to cool to see how it tastes as an iced tea. I have to say that while I do prefer this one hot, it makes a tasty iced tea too.
Another win from Happy Earth Tea! If you’re serious about your first flush Darjeeling teas, you really should check out their selection! They’re organic and absolutely FABULOUS!
Organic Sungma Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
An enchanting Darjeeling first flush with a highly refined floral bouquet and well rounded flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was so excited to receive a selection of the fresh, spring harvested teas from Happy Earth Tea! This Organic Sungma Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush is the first that I’ve tried from their 2014 teas.
Ahh! It is crisp and invigorating when it washes over the palate. If your tea repertoire tends to be of the “usual” teas like blacks and greens, you really should incorporate a Darjeeling tea in there every once in a while. It really wakes up the palate!
And the flavor is smooth and sweet with notes of flower and fruit. I don’t get a strong “muscatel” from this Darjeeling, then again, it is a first flush and you can expect more muscatel from the second flush than the first. But this does have some wine-like notes that are muscatel-ish and make this fan of Darjeeling happy.
It has a nicely round flavor and less astringency than I would have expected from a Darjeeling. A really nice sweetness comes from the fruit notes. A sweet aftertaste. I find this to be more fruity and less woodsy than a typical Darjeeling.
Overall, this is one of the nicest first flush Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted in a while. I love that it’s so fresh, I love that it’s Organic, and I love that it’s a Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance tea. I love Happy Earth’s dedication to our planet! Everything about this tea – rocks!