Balasun Darjeeling 2nd Flush 2011

Name; Balasun Darjeeling 2^nd Flush 2011
Type; Black, India, Darjeeling, Balasun, SFTGFOP
Price; £ 8.00 for 50 grams from Anteaques.

http://www.anteaques.co.uk

Brewing; 4 grams for .6 litres, 3:30 seconds at 100 degrees.

Review; If the reader hasn’t caught on yet, Anteaques is usually my go to tea shop when I’m in dire need of a good cuppa.  Anteaques is where I have tasted the finest Darjeelings.  Andrew one of the owners goes to extreme care with selection of his teas and Balasun Darjeeling is a prime example.  Anteaques also has the highest level of selection of Darjeelings in the UK.  As I stated earlier second flushes are usually the preferred brew of a Darjeeling, and Balasun offers a prime example of an excellent second flush.

Balasun Darjeeling is Anteaques’s answer to Goomtee when they ran out of that precious dew.  It’s got much of the same muscatel tones, yet to be completely honest carries a bitterness if it is over or under brewed.  I have had to order this tea many times to get it just right, but it is well worth it.

A friend I was drinking with at the time described it as ‘very subtle, yet lots of perfume’.  I could not agree more, this Darjeeling is too fine for the likes of milk and sugar, and opens up to a beautiful honey liqueur reminiscent of mead and muscat wines.  Subtle start leads to a more complex sweet finish.

 All in all, this is a wonderful tea.  My only complaint would be the price, however that is not justified.  This is half of the price of the mediocre First Flush I drank from Jing, and at a quality that is un-rivaled this year.  

Enjoy

-Tea Fan

Darjeeling 1st Flush Supreme 2011

Name; Darjeeling 1^st Flush Supreme 2011
Type; Black, India, Darjeeling, First Flush.  Okayti Estate (?)
Price; £ 16.00 for 50 grams from Jing.

http://jingtea.com/tea/type/black/darjeeling-first-flush-supreme

 “Appearance: long unbroken leaf and bud showing typical brown and green leaves and silver tips
Infusion: fawny gold
Aroma:  fragrant, warm, fresh and light
Taste: clean, crisp and clear with a rounded, satisfying and quenching finish”

Review; Ah what did I say in my last First Flush Darjeeling entry, they are my favourite?  If the reader(s) haven’t caught on yet, I ordered quite a bit from Jing tea recently.  Trying their Darjeeling 1^st flush Supreme now; this comes from the 2011 batch, so unfortunately it can’t be taken to compare with the link to the 2012.  Also I foolishly did not write down the tea estate name, nor can I seem to find it online, so we’ll assume this comes from the Okayti or Goomtee estate (as I know Jing has lots of dealings with both of these).

The leaves were a bit crushed for my liking, but hey, all that matters is the taste.  Aroma standard hints of plastic that I am growing to associate with Jing.  The tea has a nice muscatel aroma, and the peppery aroma that I love.  But smells green.  This is my biggest complaint in first flush Darjeelings, but seems to be a growing trend. 

In the past 5 years, many of the estates in Darjeeling have taken to making their first flush Darjeeling green.  It’s still technically a black tea, but the leaves are green, and the brew could almost be mistaken for a raw pu-erh or an oolong.  When making first flushes in this less oxidized manner, I believe the tell tale muscatel aroma is lost, and often times just aromas of hay, and bitterness remain.  

Now on to this tea the leaves confirm, far too green for my usual liking but, hey all that matters is taste.  And what a surprise, it carries much of the tell tale Darjeeling signs.  Slight muscatel aroma, bitterness, freshly dried hay in the sun.  I let a cup of this cool and I could taste lilies, which is a development on this tea.  Astringent and bitter, but most darjeeling’s have this.  As I drink more cups of this tea, it does grow on me.  A soft fruit edge, and it is light enough to be drunk easily.  

All in all, its passable.  My only complaint would be the price.  First flush Darjeelings are more expensive than second flush usually.  This is no different.  16 pounds for 50 grams though is taking the mick.  At most this Darjeeling should be worth 5 or 6 pounds.  

Enjoy

-Tea Fan 

P.S. Did anyone notice the incredibly vague description Jing did on this tea? Clean crisp and clear.  That could describe anything from window cleaner to bleach.

Makaibari Grand Reserve Darjeeling First Flush SFTGFOP1 2011

Makaibari Grand Reserve Darjeeling First Flush SFTGFOP1 2011

Type; Black, India, Darjeeling, First Flush, Makaibari

Price; £ 13.00 for 50 grams from Pekoe Tea.

http://www.pekoetea.co.uk/

Review; Oh Darjeelings where to begin again. For those loyal readers that remember my passion, Darjeelings are crème a la crème in my eyes. And sadly this one disappoints. And doesn’t just disappoint on one degree but so very many. First Flushes are my favourite, (see post on Marybong which still remains one of my favourites to date) and yet this first flush lacks that distinctive pepperyness that I so crave. Bland. The flavour that does come through gives hints of vanilla, and maybe green apples, but hard to detect. For being a tea from the Rajah Collection that "is selected by Rajah, the estate owner as the best of the first flush season” just makes it even sadder. High promises leave broken hearts and in this case a broken taste.

The blame? Not Pekoe tea where this tea was purchased. This is the 3^rd strike of Makibari in my opinion; I have tried a 2010 First Flush “Grand Cru”, and their second flush, and none of them compare to some of the better known estates.

Makibari prides themselves on being one of the first “biodynamic” estates, and even going as far as to write a propaganda book titled “The Rajah of Darjeeling Organic Tea”. Sadly I can say I bought this book, and it was one of the biggest wastes of money. Full of bull and other crap little info was actually provided about the estate. Written from the perspective of a hippy about nature, it covers little of the realities of a tea plantation while painting a fairy land for people to dream of that “mystic India”.

So Makibari, I look forward to trying your 2012 pickings, but know that you are one of the bottom rungs on the ladder. Manjhee Valley which isn’t even a Darjeeling gives better muscatel tones than you.

Don't enjoy!

-Tea Fan

Margaret's Hope 2nd Flush SFTGFOP

Margaret’s Hope
Type; Black, India, Darjeeling, SFTGFOP, 2^nd Flush

Price; £ 2.60 for 50 grams from Anteaques.

http://anteaques.co.uk/blacktea/margaretshope

“The teas of the Darjeeling region are often known as the "champagne of teas". They are prized for their lighter tastes and fruity aromas. The Margaret's Hope Estate is over 140 years old and produces some of the most popular Darjeeling teas. This tea is picked in early June (2nd flush) and has all the wonderful Darjeeling flavours.

Classified as "Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe" (or FTGFOP), this tea is a top grade Orange Pekoe or large leaf tea. Like many other estates in Darjeeling, Margaret's Hope's tea bushes grow slowly due to the high altitude. This plays a large part in producing the tea's characteristic and highly prized taste.”

Review; Ah Darjeelings. One of my true loves. The observant reader will probably have noted that I have an obsession with Darjeelings. Those that know me in real life know that I will do almost anything to get my hands on a delicious first flush. The Margaret’s Hope is a second flush, and will probably receive more of a scathing review than the previous two other Darjeelings reviewed.

Margaret’s Hope has a name for itself. Name-branding isn’t unique to clothing, and occurs very frequently in the tea world. Lets face it, this tea blog is about name-brands. Margaret’s Hope due to recent acquisitions of nearby tea-estates is now one of the largest tea estate in the Darjeeling region of India. And for such a surprisingly large area, it is blended (all teas are blended in the estates) consistent. 2^nd Flush, strong muscatel notes on the nose, but surprisingly little flavour to compare with the taste. A beautiful tea in its own, but branding itself as the “Champagne of teas” I would not say is truthful.

Really one cup or so of Margaret’s Hope will due it justice. A bit of a plane jane if you will in that no complex taste really develops, nowhere to go after that initial first sip. And don’t add milk or sugar! It’s a Darjeeling! Not an Assam or some Tetley tea bag for pete’s sake. I have now tasted the Margaret’s Hope for four years and as I said above, it is consistent. There is little variability in it unlike other Darjeelings (I’m looking at you Goomtee, oh you were so delicious last year…and surprisingly disappointing this year).

Enjoy!

-Tea Fan

Goomtee Darjeeling 2nd Flush FTGFOP1

Goomtee Darjeeling

"A sensational classic Darjeeling tea."
Type; Black, Indian, Darjeeling, FTGFOP1 Second Flush

Price; £ 17.50 for 100 grams from Anteaques. (Edit 17/5/2011 JING tea removed)

Review; Sending tea, and taking pictures for a friend has prompted a review of this tea. Before I get into the grit, a bias should be announced. I love Darjeeling tea more than life sometimes. This tea is also the second most expensive tea I have consumed. And it has currently ranked as my favourite. Of the 85 known estates (I'm quoting 85 as that was the number published in this book http://www.flipkart.com/b/books/darjeeling-tea-golden-brew-srijeet-book-8181891864, while some website publish numbers as high as 92), I have had the privileged of only trying a third. I've previously lamented over Darjeelings and how wonderful and fantastic they are on my review over Marybong Darjeeling First Flush. However Goomtee is perhaps the first second flush to amaze me.

Goomtee is a small estate, located high in the Himalayan mountains in the northern most region designated for Darjeeling. Perhaps this is what leads to its mythical brew. If one was ever curious about the "muscatel" tones that are so often used to describe a Darjeeling, this is the tea to base your definition. Fruity in a sickly sweet sort of way, this is most certainly not a tea to adulterate with milk or sugar. I have felt the need to put that in bold; a tea of this class, of this quality, to be ruined by such inferiour products is a sin. Floral notes can be tasted too, which bring to mind wild summer flowers growing after a storm. The fruit is hard to distinguish but I would say almost imagine a pear cider wine with cherries mixed in. Muscatel. I know its overly pretentious, but this is a tea that's best description is a mood. Calm. Tranquil. When I was preparing for exams I actually had to limit my consumption of this tea as it is entirely possible to spend hours of inner peace accomplishing nothing but relaxation. Not overly astringent, it does leave you thirsting for more.

I have actually placed an order of JING's version as I am skeptical of the quality that they are selling. An edit may appear later for this review of that tasting.

(Edit 17/5/2011 JING tea; Inferior tea, I have removed the link from the top of the page as I would not encourage people to try it as a good example of what a Goomtee should taste like. JING Goomtee tastes more like a Margaret's Hope, or a mixture of several estates. No to little astringency. Maybe a full review will come at another time, however we will see if time permits.)

Here is the wiki page to Darjeeling Tea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darjeeling_tea) but I strongly suggest reading the above book to gain a better appreciation behind the tea industry itself. There are too many books published about "tea" without actually saying anything.

Cheerio!

-Tea Fanatic

Marybong Darjeeling First Flush

Marybong Darjeeling

“So magical, so mystical”

http://www.chamong.com/marybong-tea-estate.html

Type; Black Tea, Darjeeling, First Flush, FTGFOP

Price; aim for £ 8-9 for 100 grams (shy of 4 oz).

Reasoning;

A conversation with a friend, gossiping about which teas are favourites and which aren’t, leads into this blog post ; I feel it is time to announce my favourite of the black teas.

Marybong Darjeeling is my favourite black tea. And perhaps it is unfair to use this tea, as I have only found one tea-shop that carries it (Anteaques), but before we get into the Estate itself, I feel a crash course in Darjeeling is at hand.

One of the most interesting factors of a Darjeeling, is where they are grown. High in the Himalayas, the altitude, soil type, and atmosphere, are all reasons why this tea is so highly sought after. Darjeelings will have a first flush, and then a second flush tea. A usual safe way to analyze these two, is the first flush will be more crisp, with more citrus undertones, as well as floral, while the second flush is usually considered more well rounded, full-bodied, and contains sometimes a nuttiness to it. Usually a second flush is what is thought of when one has a Darjeeling. Another interesting fact is in regards to the amount of Darjeeling. The massive market for them is often times causing vendors to mix in teas with the Darjeelings. It has been suggested that 2x as much tea is labeled Darjeeling, than is actually grown there.

A fun fact is actually that Clipper ships, the tea racing ships, were created due to the market in variance in the two flushes of teas. First Flushes were highly sought after, and thus drove a demand for. This is also interesting because often times an individual will only like one, or the other, having a clear preference for either first flushes, or second flushes.

Another interesting fact that I always find, is that the same tea bush, can produce such a different flavour, in such a short period of time. This element is only compounded when one considers the different tea estates, and how each of these is very distinct.

Taking these elements into consideration, the Marybong estate is a smaller estate, and is less famous than others (say a Castleton or a Margaret's Hope). But I feel that this estate has one of the most distinctive first flushes. The elements of this tea are very complex, however the astringent, citrus undertones, with a floral mixture always make this one of my favourites. Letting it brew for longer than customary, one notes a peppery/zesty undertone which only compliments the notes further.

Currently this estate is in transitions to Organic, and while I am not completely sold in the matter, I can see this step only adding to the complexity of this tea. Located in the “Golden Valley”, Darjeeling teas are noted for growing at very high altitudes, and this tea is no exception, growing at 1970 metres above sea level. My friends who were drinking the tea thought they noted a peach undertone, or an apricot undertone, both of which I see possible in the delicate, delicious, divine, Darjeeling tea.

A tea well worth trying, especially if one wishes to try First Flushes. Delicate and Complex in ways that remind the drinker of a Chinese green, yet this tea is fully fermented, and is distinctly a black.

~~Tea Fanatic