Darjeeling 1ST Flush Jungpana

As I open the packet I note dark green, brown and silver leaves that are thin, roughly 3mm long on average and squiggly in shape. On closer inspection I can note there are no stems or sticks.

In scent I can detect hints of wood, earth, musk and a subtle hint of sweet flowers. As a whole it reminds me of being in a woods or forest as it rains, the rich musky scent of those surroundings just reminds me very much of this tea.

In the booklet it has little notes to recommend 1tsp of tea with 95°C water for 3 minutes steeping time.

My teapot holds just over two cups worth of tea so I shall be using 2tsp of tea but shall keep the same water temperature and steeping time for the sake of this review and analysis.

Once steeped this tea is golden in colour with a delicate but sweet, floral and wooden aroma.

The first few sips reveal sweet wood with flowers which finishes as a dry nutty, muscatel combination. Very clean and on the lighter side but with real wood and muscatel tones. It does get a little sweeter and more floral as my taste buds adapt to it’s beauty but as a whole I would still say the wooden musk combination was the most dominant in flavour.

A second steep increases the wooden musk but is now not as dry as the previous steep. Whether that is because I am used to the musk or not I don’t know but it definitely seems less so. Still very wooden and sweet.

Overall I believe this to be a very nice First Flush Darjeeling and an excellent example of one being muscatel. First flush varies a lot to me to the point where some taste more grassy and floral than muscatel at all, it’s refreshing to be taken back to what I expect.

For more information along with pictures please view my blog entry.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2013/07/31/tea-horse-monthly-taster-box-darjeeling/

A sample from KittyLovesTea. First flush darjeeling is one of my favourite things in the world, so I’m always pleased when the opportunity arises to try a new one! The leaf here looks fairly typical – small in size, variagated from dark to light green, with some downy silver buds. There are some tiny leaf fragments. I gave 1 tsp of leaf 1.5 minutes in boiling water, as this is the method I’ve found best suits my tastes. The resulting liquor is light golden brown, maybe a touch yellowish. The scent is fruity and a little woody.

There’s huge fruitiness in the initial sip – I’m thinking stonefruit particularly; apricot and peach. A wonderful muscatel grape note emerges in the mid-sip, and adds a richness and depth to the overall flavour. There’s a slight woodiness right at the end of the sip. While this isn’t an astringent tea, I’d say it’s definitely brisk, leaving a slight dryness in my mouth. The tea itself is smooth and almost honeyed in texture, so it’s a slightly odd contrast, but not unpleasant.

I like this one a lot, which makes me feel a little sad. I wish I’d had the opportunity to explore Tea Horse’s offerings a little more before they closed, but such is life. An excellent, intensely flavourful first flush darjeeling.