Darjeeling 2nd Flush

I found this tea sample the the back of my tea cupboard the other day so I decided to take it to work with me so that I can try it. I think this is one of my last samples from my trade with Emilie, so thank you!

When I first opened the bag, the aroma of the dry leaf really reminded me of an oolong. It had an earthy/woodsy aroma but with a little bit more depth to it than an oolong. I steeped it for about 3.5 minutes, which resulted in a tea strength that I found perfect for my tastes. The aroma of the steeped tea is more distinct from an oolong. It has a slightly floral aroma, and the earthiness gives way to a slightly more smooth and slightly sweet/floral.

I don’t remember every having a pure darjeeling tea before, so my first experience with this tea was very pleasant. It’s like a smoother and less woodsy oolong with more floral notes than wet earth notes. Enjoyable!

First Sip Thought: “Forest.”

Smell: It has a woodsy aroma along with a golden amber liquor. You get a stronger scent than you would from a first flush. After steeped, a sweeter scent is evident that is also brisk and quite inviting.

Taste: Ahh…the champagne of teas! Harvested in June, this Second Flush Darjeeling makes an exquisite, uplifting cuppa. Second Flush simply means the tea was plucked in the Darjeeling region of India during the second growing season. Second Flush Darjeeling leaves generally have a richer, darker taste. This is perfect for me as I really enjoy bold teas and I can never get enough of Darjeeling. With the earthy and musky after taste the flavours in this Darjeeling are quite distinct and reminiscent to a forest-y getaway (hence my “first sip thought”. Due to the prominent earth and stonefruit flavours, this tea would be a match made in heaven for some cheese pairings. Within a few tastes, I gather a smooth and unique grape like flavour – something that may be enhanced with a nibble of cheese. After having this tea, I realized second flush is my favourite kind of Darjeeling!

www.theteacupoflife.com

Thank you for this one, Cheri!
I had a good day day today, I am getting to take a free class and career counseling for the unemployed due to a program sponsored by the City of San Francisco. And, I may have a potential consulting gig coming up… anyway we shall see!

I don’t have any 2nd flush darjeelings in my stash currently so it’s definitely nice to get some samples. I was looking forward to purchasing one or two this year, but then heard it was a bad year for the 2nd flushes due to a drought. So maybe I need to look at the 2013 teas from Upton if I really want one.

Anyway… this smells very nutty/roasted, almost like a wuyi oolong. Interesting! I definitely get a fruity/grape note with this, a bit of spicy, with a bit of a pungent bite in the finish. Nothing too overwhelming, however. Overall this is a nice 2nd flush, well rounded and easy to sip on plain, though better with a tiny touch of organic coconut sugar. I’m glad I didn’t steep it for longer, I think 3 minutes was fine and at a slightly lower temp than boiling. Thanks again, Cheri!

This is so different than the Planter’s Pride Darjeeling I had the other day…maybe that one was a first flush? There was no info on the package :-(. Anyway, this tea has a much heavier and more savory taste to it. It’s got a nutty quality to it with some citrus highlights at the end. Bonus though, it’s not astringent at all. I am really enjoying darjeelings lately and this is no exception. I expected it to be a bit lighter, but maybe it’s a good transition tea to sip on while I wait for my jambalaya to finish simmering. There’s no light flavors in jambalaya, y’all! Thank you for including this in our swap, Cheri, and also Happy Birthday!!

Also, I went rogue with my preparation and declined to follow the instructions to use boiling water thanks to the fine tea education I’m getting from all you lovely Steepster-ites :-)

The instructions on the package said to steep it in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. However, other members of Steepster have commented that Darjeeling teas taste better when steeped at lower temperatures. Instead, I steeped the tea using 185°F (85°C) water, while keeping the other parameters the same – 1 tsp per cup, for 3 minutes.

The dry leaf of this tea is small, twisted, and black. Anyone who wants to understand how diverse tea can be should have a tea like last week’s Yunnan Breakfast Black side by side with this one. That tea was smoky and leathery, and in contrast the Second Flush Darjeeling smells sharp, fruity, and peppery.

When brewed up, the sharpness and fruitiness were still present. A lot of people in the past have commented on the “muscatel” note of Darjeeling teas, and if this tea is typical, I think I understand what people mean. There’s definitely a smell reminiscent of raisins or grapes – somewhere in between the two, really. But the taste isn’t quite as fruity. Instead, there’s more pepper to it, and it’s also somewhat bready and savoury.

But gasp! Incredibly, I can’t think of a fictional character to compare this tea to. Why? Well, my blog post will reveal all: http://christinavasilevski.com/2014/06/sunday-tea-books-second-flush-darjeeling-simple-loose-leaf/

Oh thermodynamics, you are so much fun! Usually my basement Tea Lair (and craft zone) is much colder than the rest of the house and outside, it can be near 100 degrees out in the world and I am still comfy wearing fuzzy socks and a sweater. Lately it has been quite warm, but today it has been rather chilly, so my Tea Lair is the warmest area in the house. Perfect for sipping tea and wrapping up in my nice warm quilt.

Today’s tea is part of Simple Loose Leaf’s May tea subscription box, Darjeeling Second Flush Black, a black tea harvested in June and a perfect afternoon tea (or so the package says). I decided to take the package’s advice and drink this in the afternoon, so let us see if it is right! The aroma is delightfully complex and quite tasty smelling. It blends roasted peanuts, sweet potatoes, muscatel, and an earthiness. This tea has a darkness to it, a weight, it is much heavier than first flush and less sweet…it is a more mature aroma.

Steeping time! I would like to suggest not following the directions on the package, Darjeeling teas are delicate, treat them like you would an oolong and don’t pour boiling water on those leaves or you will end up with a bitter mess. For years I thought I hated Darjeeling because I followed package directions, a little reading led me to a better temperature and now it is one of my favorite black teas! I find 190-195 degrees work best for me, but hey, experiment and see what works for you. The aroma of the wet leaves is much sweeter and more muscatel, but more of a raisin than fresh grape aroma. It is quite brisk and also has an undertone of roasted nuts. The aroma reminds me of late summer, but to me Darjeeling always has a late summer harvest feel to it. The liquid has a creamy cocoa quality with strong muscatel and roasted nuts, it smells really good and I cannot wait to start sipping it.

The taste of this Darjeeling is intensely sweet and incredibly smooth! There are notes of raisins and sweet potato, a bit of cocoa richness, and a hint of dried leaves. As it cools it takes on a bit of briskness and has a mild rose taste at the finish. I actually agree with the package on this being an afternoon tea, I could certainly see myself sitting on a porch reading a book or watching the late summer storms roll in while sipping this tea and nibbling on snacks.

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/simple-loose-leaf-darjeeling-second.html

This was from my first Simple Loose Leaf box, purchased as part of the deal!
It’s a nice black, with apricot notes, and a little bit of honeyed sweetness. I’m not generally a huge fan of darjeelings but I like this one. It’s a little tart but not astringent. I find myself reaching for another cup after I’ve finished this one!

So far, it’s a great start to this subscription!

Thanks again, Simple Loose Leaf! I wanted to try this one with the same parameters I used yesterday on a Darjeeling. I think I’ll stick with it for most of my Darjeelings to try them out… unless a tea company knows what they’re talking about when it comes to parameters, like Butiki. The leaves of this Darj are similar to the Zen Darj I tried yesterday. This one tastes similar but it does have more of a lemon note somehow, rather than the stone fruits. I do love the stone fruits in my Darjeeling, but this one isn’t bad. It also has some nuttiness, especially on the stronger second steep. I think Darjeelings are still going over my head when it comes to picking out flavors though. I’m still an amateur!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 tsp // 20 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #2 // 10 min after boiling // 5 min // half a mug

I received my Simple Loose Leaf May box today and the first tea I opened was this one. I opened it up and gave it a whif. It smells lightly sweet and citrusy. I wanted to try it first at just a 3 min steep. It’s not very strong at 3 minutes. I get a little bit of citrus flavor with underlying black tea bitterness. I might have to make more at 5 minutes after I finish this one.