Spring 2020 Harvest
I received this as a sample from Alistair @ What-Cha. Thank you!
I don’t always enjoy Darjeeling teas, but I tend to enjoy 1st Flush offerings. This is probably because they are essentially white teas, with trademark Darjeeling grape flavour. White teas almost always please me, although I can’t say why. Something about smooth, sweet hay and flowers, a drop of lemon, and subtle “mystery fruits.” I also generally like how the caffeine hits me.
First steep finishes sweet and vaguely creamy. Also, the usual Grape Crush nostalgia is present, without too much of that Darjeeling astringency.
Second steep verges somewhat from typical white tea standard and delves into quintessential Darjeeling territory. Still floral, grape, hay, etc. A bit more astringency and some pepper expands this cup out an extra dimension. The grape takes on some of that prized “wine” quality.
Third steep: Lemon zest, sweet grapes, tangy apricot, pleasantly sour, smooth . When I first took a sip, while it was still piping hot, I thought It had gone disappointingly flat. After it cooled a little the apricots peaked; it’s a pretty vivid and multi-faceted note. The finish is juicy, sour, and complex, like a stonefruit (plum or apricot). No mistaking it for anything but a Darjeeling now!
Steep Count: 3, Western Style. 2 – 4 min.
Flavors: Apricot, Astringent, Creamy, Floral, Grapes, Hay, Lemon, Muscatel, Pepper, Smooth, Stonefruit
