Thunderbolt Tea
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Thanks to Scott Tea Man for sending me this lovely sample!
This is yummy, after steeping the wet leaves smell like lemon and pepper, they are still so green and olive…
I don’t have a lot of experience with darjeelings but I thought this was a beautiful cup of tea. Light orangish and yellow in color with a definite intoxicating floral & sandalwood aroma. The flavors are so delicious and light. I am getting a bit of butter pecan nuttiness to start, delicate floral flavors mingled with a pineapple sort of sweetness and then a bit of lingering astringency in the finish but a very moist and refreshing mouthfeel. OMG! When are the 2012 first flush teas coming from Thunderbolt??
I don’t know if it is just my imagination but teas from darjeeling and nepal always seem to have the most profound influence on my mind – expanding but relaxed at the same time. This would be a good tea for meditation and reflection. Sweet! Yum!
I did a resteep also and although lighter, it was still delicious – thanks again Scott!
Preparation
I have a presentation to give and I’m nervous. Channeling the gods of tea to wish me luck…
By the way this stuff is awesome (see previous notes) & thanks to ScottTeaMan for sharing!
Thanks to ScottTeaMan for this lovely sample. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get around to trying some… this tea seems like it has a personality complex and does not know if it’s a white tea or an oolong.
After steeping the wet leaves smell quite floral and relaxing so I know I am in for a treat of some kind. :))
I steeped this for around 90 seconds in 180 F or so water and I was not skimpy with the leaf. My cup is light yellow and quite delicate. The flavor is lightly sweet like sweet peas or corn, but also floral with a honeysuckle like quality. Very relaxing and aromatic and some slightly creamy elements in the finish. This is quite nice, almost intoxicating!
Second steep is also wonderful… a little buttery but with some crazy, wonderful Himalayan floral thing going on. It reminds me a bit of the White Shangri-La from Rare Tea Republic.
I will be looking out for more teas like this from Thunderbolt. Thanks for sharing Scott. :)
Preparation
Your welcome! I knew you’d like it. It is so delicious! I want to review a white tea today, but I think I’ll revisit this one. I hope I gave you enuff for afew more cups. :))
Did you experience any maltiness, nuts, or light chocolate notes? My sinuses aren’t clogged today, so maybe I’ll get some of the sweet peas, & more florality!
I thought I sensed the white chocolate but of course I read your tasting notes which probably put the idea in my head. ;-)
Thanks to ScottTeaMan for sending me a generous sample of this (the 2010 version)
So my cold has now moved into a chest cold (ugh), I think my taste buds are back but I may come back and revisit this one soon when I am a bit healthier. I steeped it at around 190 F for 3 minutes, I am guessing. I’m getting some light spicy notes in addition to very fruity ones. I am getting sweet grape, for sure, not muscatel per se but perhaps some white grape. I know this is supposed to be a green tea but it the color, when brewed, really just reminds me of a first flush darjeeling, it’s a light amber.
I always worry about excessive astringency with the darjeeling region teas but this one seems more on the mellow side which I am enjoying this morning. I think I would also like to try cold brewing this to see what happens. Thanks again for the great sample Scott…
Preparation
You’re welcome, and feel better soon! This one might taste better when your cold is gone. Yes, white grape is a good description.
Thanks, I know I shouldn’t even be trying any new teas when I’ve been sick but on the other hand, I’m stuck at home with a cupboard full of tea… :)
This tea is a beatiful tea, with elongated leaves that to me looked brownish, but the description states they are dark green. I’ll take a closer look next time. There is a numerous amount of white tips. When I opened the bag, I couldn’t believe my nose. I immediately smelled white chocoloate, with lesser almond aromas. What a terrific aroma! It truly did remind me of a 2nd flush Darjeeling, but a White tea as well. The huge leaves and the white furry tips reminded me of a snow buds white, but the nuttiness reminded me of a Bai Mu Dan. The wet leaves looked brown/olive green and smelled of woods, almonds, malty, and slightly chocolately? (I’m asking myself-yes, slightly chocolatey). I wasn’t getting any floral or fruity notes, but my clogged sinuses might be to blame.
Now the color in the cup reminded me of an Oolong with its’ yellow and lightly golden hue. The first cup was so sweet, VERY creamy, and delicious!! It tasted of nutty almonds (as if there is any other kind), like a second flush Darjeeling and a Bai Mu Dan white tea. I didn’t notice any floral or fruity notes in any of my three cups.
My second cup was similar in all respects to the first, except the flavors and aromas were at their strongest. The cup aroma was more in line with a second flush Darjeeling, and even more nutty, creamy, malty and delicious! Steeped 1.5 minutes at 195 degrees.
Last cup was weaker, but still quite smooth, sweet and delicious.The malty quality was still there and there was a light astringency in my mouth-and that’s a good thing. :)) I steeped this cup in boiling water for 3 minutes. The spent leaves are huge and I could still see the distinction of multi hued leaves. In a nutshell a truly pleasant, calming tea experience. I can’t say that enough! :))
Cupped and Reviewed: Saturday, February 11, 2012.
Preparation
I was excited to try this Singbulli Estate tea, because all of my limited experiences with this estate have been very positive. I cupped this Friday night and had a great tea experience. When I opened the bad I smelled a mildly nutty aroma. Let me say that this tea wasn’t as aromatic as I thought it would be. I warmed my cup and strainer, put the dry leaves in, and the nutty aroma intensified. I steeped my first cup as noted and could smell nothing but the fresh leaf. Wow! I smelled fresh minty and nutty aromatics rising from my cup to greet me!
The wet leaves were varigated shades of green and brown and smelled clean, crisp, and refreshing-with more pronounced minty and almond-like character. I also recognized some fruity florals too. The cup itself was a very inviting bright orange color with the same characteristics mentioned above.
When I taste Darjeelings like this my mouth usually waters anticipating the flavors of the tea. What I experienced was a very balanced cup, full of minty, fruity, nutty deliciousness! Really fresh, crisp and invigorating. :)) Usually at a three minute steep, there is a proud astringent bite that dances on my tongue. The astringency with this Singbulli is still quite noticeable-it is a Darjeeling after all. It is more tolerable and milder, as the astringency doesn’t dance loudly, or dare I say, stomp on my palate. It is much more playful and mild, still proud, but not conceited, as it presents itself. It is not as mild as the Puttabong Queen I reviewed last month, so if the astringency is too much for you, try reducing the steep time and even the temperature a few degrees. :))
After midnight I had another cup just to enjoy and this cup matched the description above. What I love about Darjeelings is that they do remind me of a fresh, crisp, clear Spring day that brings nothing but comfort and joy. This Singbulli Estate Darjeeling does not disappoint. It is delicious and very satisfying! :))
Cupped: Friday & Sunday, February 10 & 12, 2012.
Reviewed: Sunday, February 12, 2012.
Preparation
This review is for the 2010 lot of this green Darjeeling, while the picture is of the 2011 lot, but the leaf is very similar. Very long green & white well twisted leaves that smelled light and airy, fruity, and dare I say creamy. Wet leaves smelled woody and as they cooled, they were alot more fruity smelling. They also unfurled to beautifully large whole leaves, some having brown edges.
The cup color was a medium yellow and had a sweet, lightly fruity nose, but I can’t place the fruit. The flavor is so sweet and smooth in my mouth, with a light fruit, creamy quality. I like it alot. Ssooo delicious and very relaxing. I’ve read that the fruit notes are pear-like, but I wasn’t getting that at all! Then again I’m not a big fan of pears, so I don’t smell or eat them very often.
My second steep on Thursday morning (same leaves), was steeped at roughly the same temperature for 3 minutes. I was still getting smooth creaminess and fruity aspects, but the fruit that seemed to come through was grapes. Not the sweeter red grapes, but green, which tend to be less sweet and sometimes sour IMHO. :)) I was getting some tangy qualities on my tongue-but not bitter. Darjeeling teas are sometimes compared to muscat grapes. I could definitely taste that quality here.
Last night I decided to brew this tea closer to brewing guidelines at 180 degrees for 3 minutes. I dozed off waiting for my tea to cool and woke up with cold tea. I drank it and realized this could be a good iced green tea. Using more leaf, a cold brew in the refrigerator overnight would be quite tasteful! So after midnight I had one more hot cup, adding additional leaves and steeping for two minutes. It was quite smooth and creamy and fruity and delicious!
This is a mild tea, so the qualities I mention above are not strong, but never lacking in flavor. This Darjeeling green tea is is unque tea, and I would have to say, just as good (if not better), than many Chinese green teas! Every green tea lover should try it at least once. :))
Cupped: Wednesday-Friday, February 1-3, 2012.
Reviewed: Friday, February 3, 2012.
Preparation
This is the only second flush I purchased from Thunderbolt Tea on New Years’ Day. I guess it was a Christmas gift. It has been probably over a year since I’d had a 2nd flush Darjeeling, so I was really looking forward to this one. On Thursday I decided to cup this tea.
When I open the bag, I always inhale the leaves’ aromas and I got almonds coming through in the dry leaf, but there was something else. Was my nose deceiving me? I thought I smelled mild chocolate-like notes, but wasn’t sure because I had never smelled a Darjeeling with this characteristic. I also thought the leaf smelled dry and musky. The dry leaves looked pretty- medium and dark brown leaves with white tippy leaves too.
The cup was a medium brown with a fruity aroma. I wasn’t sure if I was true, because the night before I had a FF Darjeeling (while watching an Indian movie, and I can’t remember the name). Anywho, the FF Darj I had was crisp & fruity, and I thought I was getting some of that in the nose, since I only rinsed my cup with very hot water the night before. After letting my tea cool a bit, I tasted, and found this Risheehat did have a fruity nature, and a nutty quality on my palate as well! I don’t know why but I always seem to get almond qualities with second flush Darjeelings. When I let the tea rest on my palate, I got a good balance of nuttiness and fruitiness in my mouth. When I swished the tea around my mouth the almond qualities prevailed. Very delicious, mouth watering, and IMHO not overly tannic at all.
Still I wanted to do a second tasting after washing my cup and infuser. Plus, I had burnt my tongue eating hot soup—man I hate that!—and I wanted to let my tongue heal so I could perhaps get a better sense of the tea. :)) I also read the description of the tea on their website before my second cup. I don’t usually do that because I don’t want it to taint or overtly influence my description of the tea experience.
The following night, I again smelled the dry leaf aromas. Yes the almonds were there, and it was caramel I was smelling in the aroma! Not so much chocolate, but definitely caramel notes! This was a first for me with regards to 2nd flushes. :)) Again, reading the desciption didn’t influence me here, it just helped me be more accurate in my review.
One thing I forgot to mention was the aroma of the wet leaves, of which the fruity/nutty aromatics carried through nicely here. The dry leaves must have been well twisted because upon expansion they were very large, and you could see the different shades of brown and tippy whites in the wet leaves.
My tongue was nearly completely healed, so on to the tasting. Aahhh, the sweet fruit aroma was there again-very nice! I have never smelled or tasted such a fruity 2nd flush before. Again, very well balanced with the nutty aspects here. I was not getting any caramel or chocolate in the cup aroma or taste, but may at a longer steep time and temp.
A very sweet, delicious cup, that is well balaced and not overly tannic, at least for me, when brewed by the info noted here. Well worth it! I only wish I’d bought more. ://
Cupped: Thurs & Fri, January 26 & 27, 2012.
Reviewed: Sunday, January 29, 2012.
Preparation
I ordered from Thunderbolt Tea in 2009, but my tea order was returned to India because I wasn’t home to SIGN for it! So in 2010, I ordered this gem. I love Darjeeling teas, and this was the best Darjeeling I could remember tasting in 2 or 3 years.
The dry leaf smelled nutty (like almonds), and of woods. Wet leaves were pretty, varigated leaves of green and brown. I wish I had a picture to show you! The smell was fantastic-sweet, flowery, fruity, all in some combination. The smell of the wet steeping leaves in the cup is….Aaahhhh….so fresh, clean, crisp. The cup color is a beautiful orange color, with the same-although a little subdued-aromas as the wet leaves.
The cup exhibits flowery, fruity, fresh goodness on my palate. So fresh and clean like a new Spring day. I also detected secondary nutty characteristics in the tasting. Typical muscatel tones linger on the tongue even long after the tea is swallowed. The best description I can come up with here is to think of the “bite” of a sour grape on your tongue. This is not bitter, but only tangy deliciousness. This is one of the things I love about FF Darjeeling teas (and what some people do not). :))
Really the best Darjeeling I’ve had in a long while! I started cupping this after Thanksgiving, and even a year later it is so fresh and delicious! Reminds me of Spring in a cup.
Cupped: Mon, December 19, 2011. Reviewed: Sat, December 24, 2011.
Preparation
Today, I bid adieu to the last of my 2011 Castleton Moonlight 2nd Flush. It was a good run. (sniffles) But how I part ways with it the only way I can in the summer…as a pint of iced tea. And to that end, it held up spectacularly. You were the best of the best of last year’s Darjeelings, dear Moonlight. Cue bagpipes!
Preparation
It takes a lot for me to say a tea is perfect. That and I’ve only ever encountered one perfect Darjeeling. Well, I think that’s been upstaged…by an oolong, no less. Castleton has produced an oolong that is both muscatel and dipped in creamy/fruity/floral nuances. It was a hard tea to identify…and even harder to put my adulation into words. Truly a perfect a cup, in my opinion.
Full Review: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/09/14/trippin-on-moonlight/
Preparation
you were one of the lucky ones to get this tea from Thunderbolt….if I remember it sold out pretty quickly!
I ordered from them in 2009, and before I could pick it up at the PO ( wasn’t home to sign for it), they sent it back to India! I remember choosing a couple really nice Darj teas. In 2010, I ordered two really nice Darj’s, Puttabong & Goomtee, both were amazing. I liked the Puttabong better though. 2011 teas sold out so fast…again there were a few I was gonna order, and I missed out….before I knew it, they were gone! Thunderbolt has some of the freshest Darjeeling teas! :) Benoy really knows how to pick winners. I’m not going to miss out in 2012!
I love every tea I received direct from India from Thunderbolt tea.
This one is quite unusual. Best described as a light black that’s a bit oolongy but looks like a white. It’s doesn’t have the oolong back-taste.
It’s just extraordinary.
It has the first hit of a Pai My Tan, then has a comfortable feel of a light Darjeeling black, or even a Sikkim and then finishes with an aftertaste that has the flavour of a white, but with the strength of an old, old oolong.
I’ll be ordering some more!
Preparation
Wow.
I stopped posting here because I found I was saying the same things about the same teas.
Until my order arrived from India.
This tea is pretty special. Delicate, spicy and fruity on the palate with an almost caramelly aftertaste. Or perhaps more like dates.
Second infusion brings out citrus notes and some floral tones
I thought of the Thunderbolt teas I have, this is the least astringent, yet nutty like a second. Glad you like it Amy. :)) Pineapple…….hhmmm, now I have to revisit this one. I have not been disappointed by their teas. :))