Sourenee FTGFOP 1 CH, Second Flush 2022

Another advent intermezzo.
And not sure if this is correct one (my pouch have 1SPL instead of CH), but who cares anyway? Thank you Leafhoper for sending tea my way. So many interesting ones, at least based on their names and visual.

I have decided for this one, because mostly Sourenee says nothing to me and I was craving plain black tea without much complexity as I am not able to pay attention to them anyway. Prepared western, 2 tsp, 300 ml mug.

Honestly it is very not complex and overall I feel I am missing something! I have very same experience as Leafhopper do, notes of raisins, malt, rye bread, a little tannic as well. It is mouthcoating, but it doesn’t last long and all the notes are somehow mixed together.

Not much memorable tea to be honest.

I decided to get a bunch of new first and second flush Darjeelings this year, even though I still have a few from years past. Maybe I should have waited, since I’ve heard that weather conditions during the second flush harvest weren’t that great. I steeped 4 g of leaf in a 355 ml mug at 195F for 4.5, 6, and 8 minutes.

The dry aroma is of raisins, figs, malt, autumn leaves, spices, and wood. The first steep has notes of raisin, fig, muscatel, rye bread, autumn leaves, chili, spices, honey, tannins, malt, and wood. It’s a little drying, though I may have used a bit too much leaf. The next steep emphasizes raisins, rye bread, autumn leaves, cream, malt, and wood, though the aftertaste is nice and fruity. It also, predictably, becomes more drying. The final steep adds caramel and grass, and is bready, malty, and tannic without much fruit.

This is a nice daily drinker Darjeeling that I probably won’t remember a couple months from now. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it doesn’t pop with lush fruit and florals like some really good SF teas.