Orthodox BOP Darjeeling

2/4 of Upton’s basic darjeeling sampler

Well evidently B.O.P. stands for broken orange pekoe and when you look at the leaves they are chopped up very fine and are various colors of brown and light green. This has a very familiar “tea” smell for those of us who grew up with the cheap orange pekoe tea that’s readily available in teabags.

I steeped this for 2 minutes with around 200F degree water, I did not want to go up to boiling. It brews up to be a lovely dark orange color. I am drinking this without milk or sugar and it’s very light and smooth, a bit like an oolong and this stage. I am enjoying the mild flavor with a touch of briskness. Thankfully it is also light on the astringency but you do get a bit of tannin in the finish, it is not bothering me too much. I think this would make a good iced tea also. A good value for the price. I am not sure I’ll need to order more of this particular tea but I will certainly enjoy the little tin I have.

Brisk and flavorful and noticeable peppery notes make up this Darjeeling. Sure it’s astringent but it a good-darjeeling type way!

I got what I expected with this cuppa and I am thankful!

I picked this up as another sample with my Upton order. I must say it sure it yummy even if the BOP stands for Broken Orange Pekoe. This one is mighty smooth and not at all bitter as I have found some Darjeelings to be. In fact it is still mighty tasty even though it has cooled considerably.

Pulled this old tea I was gifted from Meowster during a cupboard de-stash. Thank you!

Brewed 3.5g in 500ml 190F water for 3 minutes. I managed to get in a few wiffs before it was emptied into the work thermos for the day, and found it surprisingly flowery in aroma for such an old tea. The thermos is now drinkable, and the flavor definitely tastes a little stale/muted from age, but notes of malt, baked bread, raisins, honey, and flowers are still present. It’s also very smooth, with just a bit of a drying quality after the sip — at least with this preparation, I’m not getting the sort of astrigency I come to expect from broken leaf tea.

I got a sample of this Darjeeling BOP Blend in a recent Upton order and this is the closest entry I found so here is my tea note.
This very small leaf expanded a lot in the pot and contributed to the bitterness in the cup. That being said there is a nice nutty flavor at the end of each sip. It is less bitter as it cools, and the last cup from the pot wasn’t bitter at all, it was quite smooth.
Second steep was again bitter and not nutty. Not sure I need a darjeeling that is so finicky to brew.