17 Tasting Notes
400ml of water at 195F
1 heaping tablespoon of tea
Steep for 2 minutes
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar
Darjeelings are extremely temperamental. Over extend one or more parameters (tea leave volume, water temperature, steeping time) and the tea becomes mediocre. Darjeeling also has the disadvantage of only offering one good steep and if manage to get a second or third steep, it does not compare to the flavor and taste of the first.
This year’s Castleton, by Mariage Freres, surprised me. The recommended steeping time for the 2011 FF was 5 minutes. The recommended steeping time for this year’s Castleton is 2 minutes. Same estate, same flush, same grade, different year and the time changes considerably. Could this be correct? Based on my memory, it took a full 5 minutes to bring out the full complex flavor of the 2011 FF Castleton. It only takes two for this year. Steep the 2012 for a longer time and the astringency will assert itself often masking the other delicate flavors exhibited in this tea.
So how is the taste of the 2012 First Flush Castleton? Excellent. A complex mixture of floral notes, full body with the classic “muscatel” taste, and little to no stringency. This flagship Darjeeling tea from Mariage is always good. Consistent in high quality, full flavor and great taste year after year after year. I asked the question of why the Darjeelings from Mariage are so different in taste from other retailers and their answer is this: “most of our Darjeeling premium flushes are exclusively grown and kept for us by the owners of the gardens from one flush to the other. That also is the reason why we can on some very rare occasions refuse a whole flush from one garden due the incapacity to meet our standards.”
Preparation
Amount of tea: 1/6 the volume of the teapot
Water temperature: 195F
First steeping 45 seconds, 2nd 55 seconds, 3rd, 65 seconds, 4th 75 seconds, etc.
Tea rinsed before the first steeping.
I love High Mountain Oolong Teas from Taiwan. I chose to order from the retailer, “Tea from Taiwan,” because they specialize and only offer Taiwanese High Mountain Oolongs. The order process was quick, easy, and my order arrived in about 10 days, Taiwan to California.
The Zhong Shu Hu Oolong tea was excellent. Floral notes were evident in the first steepings along with very light natural sweetness from this unflavored tea After multiple steepings, the Floral notes diminished, giving way to a fruity flavor, further enhancing the sweet nature of this tea. What I like about Oolong teas is how the flavor changes during multiple steeps. The first steep was 45 seconds and I added 10 seconds to each subsequent steep. Even after steeping this tea 10 times. It still had lots of flavor, it was still very smooth, and never became bitter. In the first steepings, the tea was light green, changing to a bright orange in later steeps, and finally into a light brown color.
The retailer offers several sample packs so you can taste the teas before placing a full order.
Preparation
400ml of water at 195F
1 heaping tablespoon of tea
Steep for 3 minutes
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar
If you don’t like the grassy green taste of Darjeeling teas, then you may want to skip this one. The grassy taste is very pronounced in this tea, and it is immediately evident at the first sip. It is not astringent though and I happen to like the taste of this tea and year after year, it’s been a perennial favorite. The very small amount of sugar I add, takes the edge off the green taste.
If you can get over the initial taste, you may realize this tea is full of body and character. It stays smooth to the last drop. There is a slightly minty(?) note to this tea which is reminiscent of a light clove taste.
What I like about Spring Darjeelings from Mariage Freres are the different flavors each one has to offer. Some are nuetral, some are complex, some are light, and this Margaret’s Hope has a strong grassy flavor.
Preparation
400ml of water at 195F
1 heaping tablespoon of tea
Steep for 3 minutes
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar
Teapot warmed and rinsed with hot water. Tea leaves placed into the teapot and left standing for 30+ seconds to build up the aroma.
The Spring Flush Jungpana never disappoints. The leaves are very green with silver tips interspersed throughout the tea. The steeped tea is a light orange/red in color. Out of the premium Darjeelings, the price is on the lower side (for Mariage). A very smooth tea with a bold taste, with a slight bit of astringency which compliments the body and flavor of the tea. It does have the grassy/green taste associated with Darjeeling teas. Yet there is no one overpowering characteristics and everything blends together extremely well. Always one of the favorites out of the Mariage FF Darjeeling line of teas
Preparation
400ml of water at 195F
1 generous table spoon of tea
Steeping time 5 minutes (yes, 5 minutes)
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar
Teapot warmed and rinsed with hot water. Tea leaves placed into the teapot and left standing for 30+ seconds to build up the aroma.
A very green tea with a fresh scent. This First Flush Darjeeling is very different in taste when compared with other FF Darjeelings from Mariage Freres. Floral and almost grassy in tea, in leans toward a fine Japanese Green tea in flavor. The astringency is stronger in this tea than other Mariage Freres Darjeelings which leads to a slightly sour aftertaste. This is my wife’s favorite tea out of all the 2012 FF Darjeelings we have. As for my rating, it is slightly lower than previously reviewed Darjeeling. This is due to the higher astrngency masking the depth in taste of this tea. I have lowered the steeping times in several brews which controls the astringency yet the shorter time tends to decrease the release of the different flavors this tea contains.
As with all FF Mariage Freres Darjeelings, this is also an exceptional tea.
Preparation
400ml of water at 195F
1 heaping tablespoon of tea
Steep for 4 minutes
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar
As I usually do for all Darjeeling, I heat the teapot with hot water, then discard the water, add the tea and let it stand for 30 seconds allowing the aroma of the tea to develop. The green scent of the tea is on the moderate side.
This 2012 First Flush Namring was quite a surprise and completely different from the 2011 First Flush Namring. While the 2011 had a very pronounced green/freshness in taste, the 2012 has a better balance of flavor, taste, aroma, and contained all of the classic qualities of a FF Darjeeling. The astringency is very slight adding body and character to the tea. The flavor is bold and brisk yet not over powering. All of these characteristics makes the 2012 FF Namring an exceptional Darjeeling.
The flavor fully opens up after 3 minutes of steeping. Very smooth from the first sip, and there is little to no aftertaste.
Preparation
It’s a well rounded FF Darjeeling with much of the astringency becoming apparent when brewing the tea for the recommended time of 5 minutes at 90C or 95C (on the MF website). it is on par with their other teas like Springside. Comparing this Darjeeling to other retailers i would consider it a good tea. Comparing to the premium Mariage Freres FF Darjeelings, the taste is average. I used to love this tea until I tasted the FF Margaret’s Hope, FF Namring Upper, and FF Castleton.
