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

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