India Darjeeling 1st Flush Gopaldhara AV2 Clonal Wonder Black Tea

This was my afternoon tea today. I have been working on finishing up a few of the samples I have lying around and I was in the mood for a Darjeeling. It came down to either this or the Rohini Golden Buds, but I ended up selecting this one. I tend to be a fan of the teas produced by the Gopaldhara Estate and had heard some good things about this one. I found it to be a very pleasant, slightly quirky first flush Darjeeling with a pronounced fruity character.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped about 3-4 grams of loose tea leaves in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves emitted pleasantly fruity, malty, grassy aromas. After infusion, I detected clearer aromas of honey, peach, straw, grass, Muscatel, flowers, and melon. There were also subtle touches of wood, lemon zest, and smoke. In the mouth, I picked up a delicate mixture of honey, almond, straw, grass, cucumber, wood, smoke, lemon zest, tangerine, honeydew melon, white peach, malt, and Muscatel balanced by subtle minerals and fleeting impressions of dandelion, chrysanthemum, marigold, and violet. The finish was fruity and malty, offering lingering malt, Muscatel, melon, peach, and citrus notes with just a touch of floral character.

Yeah, this one was excellent. What-Cha normally does a great job sourcing Darjeelings, especially first flush Darjeelings. I kind of wish I had a little more of this to play around with, but I don’t. I may have to pick up some more soon. If you are a fan of first flush Darjeelings, give this one a shot. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Yet another excellent tea that I really like that I should want more of, but don’t buy more of. The fruity notes are very pronounced, bordering on honeydew melon or melon in general. Maybe pear. Either way, it is fruity and noticeable at the front and ends of lightly brewed sips. It also has something that reminds me of cucumber in its fresh green quality. I got more fruity flavors in shorter steeps between 2 and 3 minutes starting off, and then slowly increasing the time for the rebrews. The florals are also incredibly strong and leafy, reminding me of peony. The tea could become a little bitter if steeped to long, or if the tea got a little cold, but they were pleasant. This was the only detractor for a great tea.

What-Cha has changed my mind about First Flushes as the ones I’ve tried from this company had been excellent. They are usually too grassy and bitter for me, but the balance of these is spot on. I’m still impressed with the unusual flavor combo this had, making me think of a white tea or even an oolong rather than a black, but the liqour’s light malt and the label remind me otherwise. I’d buy more if I wasn’t such an oolong head. I’m not sure who I’d recommend this tea other than for people trying out first flush, people who want to experience difference in black teas, or those who know what they are looking for.