TD52: Glenburn Estate FTGFOP1 Cl. First Flush (DJ-17)

Having this in side by sides with two other Upton Import first flush darjeelings, Goomtee (FTGFOP) and Singbulli (SFTGFOP), while I scan documents from over 5 years ago, goofy drawings from coworkers and notes from my blossoming romance with my now-husband. Memory lane time calls for a tea type that induces nostalgia, and for me that’s darjeeling!

The liquor of these is pretty much identical looking (so glad I have my alphabet cups!). The Goomtee smells the best to me; it has a sweet, fresh, corn-like aroma. For aroma the Singbulli comes second; it has a super clean, almost soapy fresh scent. The Glenburn has the darkest scent, almost like a roasted oolong.

Funny enough, my scent preferences don’t match my taste ones at all. I think I like the Glenburn best, the Singbulli second (the soapiness carries into the flavor, but it’s not bad, refreshing and sweet), and Goomtee last! The Goomtee is surprisingly bitter given its sweet clean smell. But as the teas cool, I like the Goomtee best after all—a fruitiness comes out that’s really lovely, though there’s still a sharpness that lingers in the aftertaste. The Glenburn gets this weird powdered sugar/talc aftertaste I don’t care for, and the Singbulli’s soapiness becomes too much.

There’s been a lot of discussion about Darjeeling teas this week, so I decided to hunt through my stash for some Darjeelings. This is a sample I bought last Fall but hadn’t opened yet.

The tea changed character significantly during my tasting. It started out rather “closed-in,” hinting of power and depth but with little flavor in the mouth. The aroma and flavor had notes of cherry along with herbal flavors. As the tea cooled it became fuller, with the herbal flavors dominating. Good, long finish was occasionally slightly bitter, but overall a positive experience. After about 10 minutes, the tea was lukewarm, but very full and pleasant with a very powerful finish.

I enjoyed this tea. It wasn’t dramatic, but was a pleasant way to spend a few minutes in the morning. I decided to punt on the recommendation: the tea was very good, but I know of many other equally fine teas a lower prices.

i don’t usually find first flush darjeelings interesting, so take my notes with a grain of salt…also, i accidentally used 205 degree water instead of 195, because i had it lined up with other black teas and forgot it was a darjeeling, so all credibility is gone, but….. this is a really subtle black tea, REALLY subtle, like, sit on a yoga mat and meditate while you sip it. the floral springtime aroma, buttery feel, crisp aftertaste — all very nice, but it’s just not my thing. if i’m drinking black tea, i want to taste something in it. so there you go.