80

This is my first ever Darjeeling first flush black tea––I’ve only had Chinese black teas before this.

Lovely aroma, malted sugar and toasted nutty, reminds me of Golden Monkey black tea. The wet leaf itself gives off a divine floral bouquet. But the taste of the liquor is totally average. I used a bit too much water to leaf, but even so it’s slightly on the astringent side. I can see tea beginners enjoying this, and maybe it pairs well with savoury food but not so good with yoghurt and granola.

Brewed 2.5g of leaf in 8oz of water at 190˚F for 4:45. Next time I’ll try 6oz of water at 185˚F. Then will try adding honey or lemon.

Rating: 70

Flavors: Floral, Malt, Nuts

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 45 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Bio

Amateur tea enthusiast here. I told myself I would start with studying Chinese teas when I first encountered good tea at Song Tea in San Francisco in 2016, and it’s now 2023 and I feel like I’m still just beginning to scratch the surface of Chinese teas.

Maybe someday I will move on to Indian, Japanese, Korean, etc. teas…

For my day job I work in tech as well as write some fiction on the side.

The next step in my tea journey is to start training my nose with an aroma kit to get a more precise handle on floral notes.

My Tea Rating Scale: (adapted from @benmw)
100 : Unforgettable, life-changing tea experience.
95–99: Extraordinary – Beyond impressive.
90–94: Impressive – Deep complexity, extreme clarity, or unexpected discovery of wonderful flavor. Made me reconsider the category. Would always want to drink this if I had the chance.
80–89: Delicious – Nuanced, balanced, clear, and complex layering of flavors. Would probably buy this tea again.
70–79: Very Good – Nuanced flavors, perhaps not as balanced or complex as the next step up, but clear and very enjoyable. Would consider buying again if the price was right.
60–69: Good – Clear flavors, representative of the category, but doesn’t set a standard. Good as an everyday tea. Would not buy unless desperate (e.g. when travelling without access to better tea).
50–59: Average. Would not pay money for this, but would drink if it was provided FOC.
30–49: Below Average. Would not drink this again even if it were free.
0–29: Undrinkable. Could not even finish the cup.

Location

Singapore

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