India Darjeeling 2020 First Flush Rohini 'Japonica' Black Tea from What-Cha

India Darjeeling 2020 First Flush Rohini 'Japonica' Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Butter, Floral, Freshly Cut Grass, Fruity, Green, Green Apple, Herbs, Olives, Smooth, Almond, Apricot, Blueberry, Cream, Dried Fruit, Dry Grass, Grain, Lime, Malt, Menthol, Nectar, Raisins, Rice, Rose, Salt, Spicy, Tangy, Violet
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
Not available

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3 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Backlog sample sipdown! Thank Alistair for this sample! Thought I wrote a note on it. Derk nailed most of it anyway. Very herbaceous, fresh, and crisp first flush with some funky fruit and floral...” Read full tasting note
    84
  • “A first flush Darjeeling composed of a cultivar propagated by Rohini of 2 Japanese cultivars. The dry leaf has a unique, gentle aroma, floral but not the typical orange blossom. It’s slightly...” Read full tasting note
    83

From What-Cha

A fantastic unique first flush Darjeeling not to be missed, with a lingering cooling floral taste and hints of green olives.

A tea with a completely unique provenance, a Darjeeling made with a cultivar unique to Rohini Tea Estate which has been propagated from Japan’s most famed tea clone Yabukita and the lesser known Fujimadori.

Sourced direct from Rohini tea estate in Darjeeling.

Tasting Notes:
- Very smooth texture
- Lingering cooling floral taste
- Very clean tasting

Harvest: First Flush, March 2020
Invoice: EX-16/20

Cultivar: ROH-1 (Propagated from Japanese tea clones)
Origin: Rohini Tea Estate, Darjeeling, India
Farmers: Shiv Saria and his son Hrishikesh Saria
Sourced: Direct from the farmer
Percentage of price going back to the farmer: 30%+

Brewing Advice:
- Heat water to roughly 90°C/194°F
- Use 2 teaspoons per cup/small teapot
- Brew for 1-2 minutes

Packaging: Resealable ziplock bag

About What-Cha View company

Company description not available.

3 Tasting Notes

84
Recommended
1725 tasting notes

Backlog sample sipdown!

Thank Alistair for this sample!

Thought I wrote a note on it. Derk nailed most of it anyway. Very herbaceous, fresh, and crisp first flush with some funky fruit and floral vibes, but the olive note was the strongest for me personally. It was bordering on nearly oolong like for a black tea, but maintained the herby, buttery, savory flavor of most First Flush’s I’ve drank. I liked the black version more than the oolong. The heavier oxidation gave it a smoother body and some fruit to counterbalance the florals and grassiness that I got from the oolong version.

I personally would not reach out for this one due to preference, but it is one of the first flushes that I’ve taken my time with Gong Fu. I enjoyed some of the unusual notes, and I will say that it was refreshing compared to other green First Flush black teas.

Flavors: Butter, Floral, Freshly Cut Grass, Fruity, Green, Green Apple, Herbs, Olives, Smooth

3 comments
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tea-sipper
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Everybody and their olive tasting black teas lately. :P

derk
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Can’t untaste once it’s been mentioned :)

Daylon R Thomas
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That’s called the power of persuasion and marketing. And bored tea sommeliers who need to come up with something more precise. If I didn’t have that suggestion, I’d think the flavor was green, savory, vegetal, fruity, or even pepper like. First Flushes are that way, though.

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83
1607 tasting notes

A first flush Darjeeling composed of a cultivar propagated by Rohini of 2 Japanese cultivars.

The dry leaf has a unique, gentle aroma, floral but not the typical orange blossom. It’s slightly powdery, deeper. Bluish-purple like violets and blueberries. I think I also smell dried fruit sweetness, like raisins but not quite. Musk and chili leaf overtones, a basmati rice undertone.

Difficult to describe… Very clean, light, juicy, nectarlike body with a mentholated cooling, mouth-watering finish. The sweetness sits low and is delicate, like dried fruits, apricots. Very light fruity-grainy-malty taste with something tangy. I guess that’s where What-Cha’s descriptor of green olive comes into play. Delicate violet florals. The second steep reveals more on an apricot-like tanginess, maybe dry grass, a hint of that basmati rice burlap, and that very clean, salty mouth-watering finish.

It’s a fantastic, delicate thirst-quencher. Really digging it.

Flavors: Almond, Apricot, Blueberry, Cream, Dried Fruit, Dry Grass, Grain, Lime, Malt, Menthol, Nectar, Olives, Raisins, Rice, Rose, Salt, Smooth, Spicy, Tangy, Violet

13 comments
Edit
Martin Bednář
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That sounds so great!

derk
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It is really nice. I have no idea how Darjeeling lovers would react. Good enough for me to brew another round for the thermos and take it on a bike-and-hike today (It’s going to be 23C!)

Leafhopper
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That sounds really interesting!

White Antlers
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Wow. That is (or I should say ‘was’-in referring to the era when the Earth wasn’t going crazy) warm for January! My friend in Long Beach (So Cal) told me it was 96F there yesterday. smh

Martin Bednář
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I guess I will buy it once I will order from Alistair again. Of course… if available.

Daylon R Thomas
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Derk, your note makes me more excited about my sample. I was saving it for spring because it’s a first flush, but I think I will go ahead and drink it today. I was glad that Alistair added it as a sample since I was curious about it. The fact that it’s good in a tumbler also gives me some hope-some first flush blacks can be too vegetal and herbaceous for me on occasion…nevermind I like green oolong. I also need to give the oolong version of this tea another chance. It was like a spicier Baozhong.

derk
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Daylon, I’ve been leafing my Darjeeling teas usually heavier than what’s listed, around 1g:100mL. Leafhopper turned me on to steeping them for 5 minutes instead of 2 to 3. I actually didn’t test this one out in my thermos today, opting to make a dent in a 100g bag of GABA oolong. Compared to the last few first flushes I’ve had, this is not at all vegetal or herbaceous on my palate. Spicy baozhong you say? I doubt the Japonica oolong will be around when I’m ready to order again :/

derk
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Martin, it is on the delicate end. I remember you didn’t care too much for a similarly delicate Nepali black tea that I loved, but if it sounds good, go for it. I think it’s on sale right now.

derk
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And White Antlers, it got up to 82F/21C while I was on my ride. I can’t believe it either. At least we’re getting rain this year? Back down to 50s and rain next week. I think I’ve had one proper winter in the 10 years I’ve been out here.

Martin Bednář
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derk: I feel my tastes varies a lot, once I am grateful to enjoy black teas, then floral, then jasmine greens and so on… I don’t acutally understand that. It confuses me, as I for example knew I something really liked and then I prepare it a few days later and I find it way worse…

derk
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You’re a moody tea drinker ;)

Martin Bednář
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Apparently! Not sure if I like it, or I hate it… Haha.

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