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“Tea of the afternoon…… From ScottTeaman. (Thank you!) I notice fruit notes, and an overall brightness. I knew that Darjeelings were brighter tasting teas than your typical blacks. In a way, I...” Read full tasting note
“Thank you to Scott for sending some of this my way and for helping me to get over my fear of darjeelings… Foe a long time I thought I did not like them because the ones I had were so astringent and...” Read full tasting note
“Tea review to come later today!……………OK, I’m a week late on this one, but better late than never! There is a light dry leaf aroma for this tea, and the leaves are larger than other FF Darjeelings...” Read full tasting note
Description:
Smooth, soft character, gentle pungency and delicate, floral notes make this one of the best First Flush selections we have tried in 2008. A top selection from a renowned estate that is in the process of converting to organic production.
Origin:
India
Steeping Suggestions: –
Leaf Quantity: 2¼ g/cup
Water Temp: 212º (boiling)
Steep Time: 3-3½ min
Company description not available.
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Upton Tea ImportsTea of the afternoon……
From ScottTeaman. (Thank you!)
I notice fruit notes, and an overall brightness. I knew that Darjeelings were brighter tasting teas than your typical blacks. In a way, I kind of liken this as the un-black tea. You know, kind of like Sprite is the un-cola….. It really is its own category even though I do think it is classified as a black tea.
The fruit notes are of apricots and citrus, and there might be slight floral notes of flowers that are sweet like gardenia. I can enjoy drinking this without additions, which makes me want to investigate Darjeelings further. Thank you, Scott!
Thank you to Scott for sending some of this my way and for helping me to get over my fear of darjeelings…
Foe a long time I thought I did not like them because the ones I had were so astringent and full of tannins but now I am learning quite a bit more about the different kinds of darjeelings, I am sure I will be able to find some I can really appreciate.
I did steep this with water that was not quite boiling for 3.5 minutes. Its a lovely dark yellow cup. This tea has a nice fruity aroma (like mild apricots) but also I’m detecting a bit of spiciness, like a cinnamon/peppery type of quality. It does have a bit of “bite” to it but has a fairly gentle pungency. Just a bit astringent & not very floral.
I’m finding this to be fairly mild which is nice for me this afternoon. I am liking the first flush teas I have tried a lot and will need to get more someday I think… Maybe I will become a darjeeling convert soon! :)
My first experiences with them were not good, but when I started treating them more like a green I got much better results. I just can’t drink them when prepared like most black teas.
that’s good to know ashmanra!
This is supposed to be a more refined (not in your face) Darjeeling. Was it too mild for you, or was the flavor satisfying enough?To get more of the floral quality, you have to steep it longer-say 4 minutes. Then there is slightly more astringency. I hope I gave you enuff to experiment with.:))
Apricots is a good description, but cinnamon?? Hhhmmmm, Im gonna have to have more soon.
I did not think it was too mild, will try steeping a little longer next time, I still have some left. :P
Tea review to come later today!……………OK, I’m a week late on this one, but better late than never! There is a light dry leaf aroma for this tea, and the leaves are larger than other FF Darjeelings I’ve tried. Pretty multi-hued, white tipped leaves, that really become noticeable when wet. Nice fruity, sweet aromas come through here.
Steeped for 3.5 minutes, the aromas and flavors are light and fruity sweet, with a light orange cup color. Use slightly more leaf for fuller flavor. Although this is a lighter cup, the experience is quite enjoyable. There was no noticeable astringency, which struck me as unusual for a First Flush Darjeeling. It really is a nice, smooth cup and a good change of pace.
My second cup was steeped using slightly more leaf (approx. 1 1/2 tsp), with boiling water for 4.5 minutes. Still lighter in flavor and aromatics when compared to other FF Darjeelings, the cup was a deeper orange, with more sweetness and fruity notes on the palate. There was also mild astringency in the second cup.
This Darjeeling is a great tea. While I typically like a little more astringency, the more astringent Darjeelings can easily become bitter if you are not careful. This Puttabong is a little more forgiving, and is at best (or worst) only mildly astringent. I believe this is due to the larger, tippy leaves. A top notch, refined Darjeeling that is smooth and delicious, and a worthy tea for everyone-not just Queens, or Kings for that matter. :))
Cupped & Reviewed: Saturday, January 7, 2012.
I have been thinking about making Darjeelings my next black tea to explore, probably during the summer months. Last summer I waded into Ceylons and ended up finding some that I loved, so perhaps there are a few Darjeelings out there with my name on them! (Of course, if I order them from Upton, they’ll definitely have my name on them … ;-))
You are so right that Upton is the place for Indian teas. I have heard it is where they really shine. And yes, they can have any name on them that you want! ;)
I read that, too, though I love many of their Chinese teas just as much. Today I received my order with a fresh supply of the organic China Black FOP - I was starting to feel quite deprived without it in my cupboard. Of course, I ordered some Kenilworth Ceylon and Daisajan Assam while I was at it.:)
The system must have done something weird with that last comment, because I certainly didn’t format it with a strike-through in the last sentence!
Surrounding the text with the ‘-’ character does that, as in strikethrough
This post may help http://steepster.com/discuss/1894-how-to-use-text-formatting-symbols-formatting-can-be-fun
Thanks, SimpliciTEA! In this case it was purely accidental, but it’s good to know these formatting tricks. :-)