Castleton Estate First Flush Darjeeling 2014

This was very earthy, almost like hay, and had some fruity tones to it. It was just the tiniest bit astringent, but not to the point where I didn’t enjoy drinking what I had of it. Darjeelings for the most part just seem to not be for me. Like many of them, don’t love them.

I’m not convinced that this is Tea, maybe a leafy vegatable from a distant planet dried to look like Tea.
Whatever it is, its not too bad
I kinda like it and I kinda don’t, kinda glad I have another sample to try.
I’m not sure what to think of most darjeelings tho,I’m not sure what it is about them that make them odd to me but they are, I think I’ve never had a really good Darjeeling.

Vegtal, spicy. Very green like. Pleasant.

Backlog:

A really lovely first flush Darjeeling. Very low astringency, like what you might experience from a dry wine, only perhaps less harsh.

Nice fruity tones: apricot and peach and muscat grape. Nice to find muscatel in a first flush!

With most Darjeeling teas, I tend to discover woodsy or earthy type notes along with the fruit notes, but this one seems to be all about the fruit. Sweet and fruity – very nice.

The smell of this tea was very offputting…I thought it smelled like rotten vegetables. The taste was okay, but not memorable. Tasted more green than black to me.

Grassy/earthy with a bold, bitter aftertaste

backlog – tried to review this on Sunday, but Steepster was down.

I ripped open the packet and took a sniff… asparagus? This definitely is more like a green tea than a black tea. Brewed it up, still smells like a vegetable garden.

Seemed a bit light, but maybe I just don’t get along with Darjeelings. I’ve never had one I really liked :( I will probably give the second packet away to my tea-loving coworker.

(1st steep: 4 min) This is the most unusual Darjeeling I have ever tasted. I had to go back an reassure myself that it was indeed a black tea. It looks and smells like many of the Japanese green teas I have had and enjoyed in the past. The aroma is very grassy and vegetal with a a very slight sulfur finish. These aromas carried over into the tea’s flavor. Very solid cut grass and green leafy vegetables, like spinach or kale. The is a slight pine and orange pith finish. Very interesting and unique. I am looking forward to the second steep.
(2nd steep: 4 min 30 sec) Much of the cut grass aroma is toned down, but there is still a solid vegetal presence. I will say that the flavor of the tea has changed and reduced the cut grass flavor cute a bit. It and the strong green leafy vegetable have been balanced with a malt and slight chocolate flavor. Which doesn’t sound like it should taste good, but it is quite pleasant. The tea finishes smoothly with almost no drying in the mouth.

Y’know how they (yes, “they”) say that Darjeeling can be more like a green tea than a black tea? Well, THIS particular Darjeeling has gotta be why. Truthfully, I think they kinda missed the mark there, too. Not seaweedy enough to be green, not heavy enough to be black, it tastes like itself! Just exactly like itself. Flowery, sweet, darjeelingy. The first flush leaves show winter what it feels like to be spring! I adore it. Absolutely adore.

A very interesting black tea that I would describe as being more like an aged green than anything else. A lot of vegetable notes in the body, peas and spinach most obviously, with a charming aroma of dried grass. I did not taste bitterness, however I could not detect any sweetness in the tea either, and so I was missing some depth and balance. This was a tricky one. I prefer more freshness to my greens, and more malt and oak to my blacks, so I don’t really know how to categorize this most unique Darjeeling. 6/10, would not pursue again, but I am interested in playing with temperatures and brew times for my second sample pouch.