Lochan Tea Limited

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Recent Tasting Notes

85

A+++ breakfast tea! Managed to get me out the door for a weekend of suburban family functions. This is malty and rich and it absolutely loves milk.

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85

Alright. Way behind on my paper, feeling lethargic, left eye is swollen and sore, would rather be in bed. I need a serious kick in the pants, so I brewed this up nice and strong. And then I realized that I had no milk. I’ve told myself to stop buying milk, so that makes sense. But, I really like milk in my breakfast tea and this looked hazardously dark and strong without it. As a result, this is my first experience with coconut milk in tea. Not bad! It doesn’t taste coconutty at all, actually, just a little lighter.

As for the tea itself, this has been my preferred breakfast tea since it came into my life. Malty and rich but really nice and smooth. Delicious!

Indigobloom

good luck on that paper! mmmm coconut

nomadinjeopardy

Thank you! I need the luck because I feel useless today. Also I did try to find you on Facebook but couldn’t!

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85

Yep, I ordered tea from India on a Friday and it arrives Tuesday morning as I’m trying to decide which tea to start the day with.

This smelled delicious and appropriate for helping me get productive after an unofficial long weekend of lounging and birthday celebrations. It’s quite tippy and brewed up a lovely dark ambery brown. It’s nice and deep and malty and very smooth on its own but I couldn’t help adding a little milk a few sips into it.

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84

Fresh tea straight from India! I’m actually pretty impressed it only took three days to arrive here. Before I begin, my experiences with first flush darjeelings is quite limited. I browsed around, curious to find somewhere to start. Most vendors have most of this stuff relatively high priced and depending on the garden it comes from, price fluctuates a lot.Out of a few websites, Lochan offered the cheapest available, so i went ahead and grabbed the cheapest and most expensive one they offer. (In truth though, i can’t say $8 for 100g is anywhere near expensive) Sites such as Thunderbolt and Tea Emporium charge up to and around $30 for a Thurbo first flush. Figuring I didn’t have much to lose, I put in an order. Story goes, that the wonderful folks from FedEx opened up the package from Lochan and opened up the tea too! Thankfully they only one they ripped open was the free masala chai they threw in with the order (a generous 50g too I must say) but I really didn’t care much for the chai at all so I was glad it was the only one they opened.

On to the brew, nice golden colour not getting much muscatel flavours. This one is really light tasting, a hint of malted barely sweetness and slight astringency. No spiciness from what I can tell (supposedly some first flush darjeelings have this flavour profile). It was not as fruity as I was hoping for, but still makes a nice cup of tea. The leaves are mostly broken but not dust like small. I’m actually currently preferring my Nilgiri Parkside from CS more than this, but as far as value goes Lochan has done fairly well. I cannot comment on how this would compare to a higher grade darjeeling and I am curious to find out really, how much of a difference it would make.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 45 sec
Indigobloom

has mine gotten there yet? I sent it before the strike started so it should be there last week! silly canada post…

politicalmachine

hmm not yet! I really have no idea whats going on for mail, I haven’t received any at all since Monday. Well… the ad mail is still coming… go figure. lol

Indigobloom

really? we get sporadic mail here. Mostly ad mail like you said! ha. I hope it didn’t get lost.

nomadinjeopardy

Wow, Lochan has great prices! Definitely bookmarking them.

nomadinjeopardy

Okay, so I couldn’t help but place an order with those prices. But as soon as I got the confirmation, I panicked. I know tea is exempt from customs, but I just had a really awful experience with UPS shipping something (not tea) from the US. Did you incur any kind of brokerage fees with your package?

politicalmachine

Most likely they will be shipping it FedEx Intl Economy. I wouldn’t really worry as Lochan declared all the tea they sent me to be of “samples” and marked each 50g packet with a value of 30c.. so basically no customs, no taxes to worry about. However, the customs people decided to rip open my package…
Which ones did you get?

nomadinjeopardy

I got the Assam and Jungpana and Sourenee first flushes. He’s actually shipped this by DHL which I’m not familiar with. I paid $25 to UPS in “brokerage fees” for an item I paid $29 for last week. The experience has scarred me!

politicalmachine

If it was from the states, UPS ground charges crazy fees. So sometimes shipping via UPS express is better. Not too sure how DHL works, but internationally they are quite reputable.

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71

Enjoying this with red grapes the size of super-bounce balls…they complement each other nicely. I think Lochan is fast becoming one of my favorite purveyors of really good Darjeelings.

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71

I’m going to go ahead and post my comments here, although my sample is labeled Thurbo FTGFOP 1 CH (SPL) EX4 (Experts, I know FTGFOP, but can you help interpret the rest of the alphabet soup)?

I’ll have a longer review later also, like Jillian, but this is really good stuff. My favorite feature is the aroma of the steeped tea—-smells like the tray of communion cups at my church, or the inside of a Welch’s unsweetened grape juice bottle. This Darjeeling has personality!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 45 sec
Jillian

My best guess about all those suffixes is that they indicate the number of a particular batch or something similar.

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87

De-Cupboarding this tea – I’ll miss it. It was a great introduction into 1st Flush Darjeelings and I’d recommend Lochan Teas as a great company for anyone looking to try some of the finner-quality Indian teas.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
gmathis

I’ve got a sample of this for a www.istallabouttheleaf.com review and I’m looking forward to it. So far, every Lochan Tea I’ve tried has been nothing but excellent.

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87

I steeped the leaves for 4 minutes this time which brought out the muscatel flavours more strongly, making it taste a bit more like a typical Darjeeling – though not as bitterly astringent as I’ve found most 2nd Flush or Autumnal teas to be. I resteeped the leaves (@ 4:45min) and while the results were a little bit bland the tea still had the same recognizable flavour-profile as during the first steep.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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87

This is another review I’m writing up for Mike of the ’It’s All About the Leaf’ tea blog. Check it out here: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/

I discovered upon opening the package that the leaves of this tea were considerably larger and more ‘whole’ than the leaves of the First Flush from Goomtee Estate that I also sampled from this same company. These leaves were an interesting and attractive-looking mix of dark green and silver, almost as though they were the buds of a silver needle white tea rather than a black tea. But then supposedly Darjeeling teas get fermented less than most blacks, so it makes sense, I guess.

The smell was sweet and hay-like with some floral notes, though brewed it took on a toastier aroma. It had a more typical Darjeeling flavour than the Goomtee first flush did – resplendent with muscatel flavours, though with considerably less of the drying astringency you’d taste in a later-picked Darjeeling. It was sweeter too, which becomes more noticeable as the tea cooled, and it had a nice, full flavour that lingered in the mouth and kept me from forgetting about it. As it cooled it also took on some fruity characteristics, with an interesting nutty undertone.

Of the two First Flush Darjeelings I’ve tasted now I think this one is my favorite of the two, although in my opinion both are excellent, complex, and interesting teas.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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93

Full review is up at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1639/tea-review-lochan-tea-satrupa-tgfop-first-flush-2010/

The 95-degree-afternoon mentioned in said review was several months ago! We’re UP to a blistering 5 degrees today. Wish I had more of this to enjoy from the depths of my favorite blankie.

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93

Received this as a review sample for www.itsallabouttheleaf.com, so I’ll save lengthy comments for that - suffice it to say this is one of the best Assams I have ever tasted. Malty, biscuity … all the good words!

(Later in the 95 degree, zillion percent humidity afternoon … GREAT cold! My husband humors me when I stick tea under his nose to drink, but reverts to commercial bottled most of the time; however, he truly liked this one. Must be the malty freshness. Or the fresh maltiness.)

Preparation
8 min or more

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65

The Tale of Two Darjeelings, Part One

The leaves of the Castleton Darjeeling are very green and twisted. When I first tried one of these 1st flush Darjeelings a few days ago, I was thrown off by how similar the 1st flushes are to green teas. I don’t have any prior experience with Darjeelings, but I really thought that they were black teas and perhaps the later flushes are. I don’t know.

What I do know is that this tea is much more like a green tea. If you go into it, like I initially did, expecting a robust black tea that would take milk and/or sugar you will probably be disappointed. However, I’m going into this tasting thinking that this is a green tea.

The dry leaf had a very green smell, but not vegetal. Almost a bit musky, but not off-putting. This Castleton brews up a rich, golden hue similar to that of apple juice and has a medium floral aroma. The first sip begins slightly buttery, followed by a light floral taste. As the cup begins to cool slightly, the fruity scent begins to come into play. It is a bit hard to identify the fruity taste however that Darjeelings are famous for (well, from what I’ve read).

This tea is pretty good, but is best when drank before allowed to cool too much. A light, pleasant floral aftertaste lingers between each sip.

The rating is subject to change depending on whether I prefer this or my other 2010 1st flush Darjeeling. Stay tuned!

Preparation
3 min, 0 sec
__Morgana__

Congrats on getting to try a 1st flush Castleton! Everytime I’ve tried to order one they’ve been out.

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85

I’ve noticed that when I resteep this tea it takes on a toastier quality instead of the green notes from the initial cup. I’m also getting the traditional muscatel flavour more clearly and it’s lightly astringent but not too dry.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C

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85

You know, I don’t think I’ve ever drank a first flush Darjeeling before, so this will be a first for me.

The scent of the tea was quite unusual, very green and vegetale and not as much of the basic ‘tea’ scent as I was expecting. The leaves are surprisingly green-looking too and after I steeped them they looked more like the leaves of a green tea – brightly green and vibrant-looking. The liquor is a warm, amber-gold shade and very clear-looking, unlike some teas that have a cloudy appearance.

There’s definitely a buttered cooked-greens sort of flavour to this cup, though it also has a slightly sweetness that makes the flavour quite appealing. It’s not very astringent, just a hint of dryness on the tongue as I sip, though it’s still a very ‘clean’-tasting tea. The traditional muscatel flavour isn’t very strong and I get it near the end of each sip and it lingers more on the tongue as an aftertaste.

Admittedly my experience is hardly vast, but this tastes like a good tea. The sort of drink that might not be amiss at the tables of the world’s finest tea conoisseurs.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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91

I’m pretty much out of flavored black teas (only about 1 serving left of Florence….) so I’ve having this Assam today. It is very enjoyable and almost makes me forget that I was really craving an Earl Grey! I also steeped this much longer than usual and it is not bitter so I’m impressed.

Preparation
5 min, 0 sec

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91

I’m starting my day with this, even though it is almost 6pm. After this I will be switching to caffeine free teas so I’m really enjoying this.

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91

This originally wasn’t my favorite Assam from the two I compared, but it is still really good. Although it isn’t as malty as I would like, it takes milk and sugar extremely well while also pairing nicely with every breakfast I’ve had. I think the one conclusion I’ve come to is: I must keep an Assam in my cupboard at all times.

Preparation
3 min, 15 sec

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91

This may not be my favorite Assam, but it is still quite good. I’m on my second infusion complete with warm milk and sugar.

Preparation
4 min, 15 sec

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91

Compared to the Rani Assam, this one is much redder in color. There seem to be more of the golden hay colored leaves in this one. The scent of both the dry leaf and the brewed tea is on the side of earthy, rather than malty. Plain, this tea is more astringent and almost a tad bitter. Taken with milk and sugar, the bitter edge is no longer present but the tea still has a sharp bite. The malty aspect is there, but not near as strong as the Rani. This one is good, but I think I like the Rani more due to its strong malty aspect. For that reason, this one will be receiving a slight ratings drop as both Assams were currently the same rating.

Preparation
3 min, 30 sec
Rabs

Thank you so much for the comparisons. I always find side-by-sides so informative and interesting :)

mpierce87

Stay tuned for side-by-side 1st Flush 2010 Darjeelings..coming soon.

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91

After the Darjeeling I had earlier, I really need a black tea. I’ve decided the Darjeeling is good, but is very much like a green tea which isn’t what I wanted. I want something bold, rich, and something that will stand up to milk and sugar. So Assam it is.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to pinpoint any differences between this 2010 Mokalbari Assam and the 2010 Rani Assam I had the other day without having them side by side. However, I did notice that this particular Assam had more golden leaves than the Rani.

As for the scent? Malty, malty, earthy goodness. Just the scent makes me happy, it is going to be a good evening after all.

Without tasting the two Assams side by side I can’t be sure but I think this particular one has a more malty taste to it. Both are great though! Yay for strong black tea!

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69

I gave the rest of this one to my mom, but I sort of miss it. Here is a longer review from It’s All About the Leaf: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/945/tea-review-lochan-tea-phuguri-sftgfop-1st-flush-2010-darjeeling/

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69

I wanted a green tea this afternoon, but I don’t have any (except for RoT’s Honey Ginseng…ewww). I was about to give up and have another black tea, but I remembered I have this Darjeeling which may as well be a green tea. I like this well enough, but mainly it just makes me want to invest in a few green teas and possibly some white teas.

I just don’t think I would go out of my way to get another 1st Flush Darjeeling.

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