2010 Castleton Moonlight
Posted on 29 July 2010
I continue to drink quite a bit of Darjeeling teas at the moment, at the expense of almost any other black tea. The freshness and juiciness of 2010 Darj first flushes is a good match with the current hot season, and their relative simplicity makes them easier to drink unanalytically than e.g. a rolled oolong from Taiwan or a puer.
The Darjeeling region has around 100 tea estates (see a useful map here). Getting to know their characteristics is perhaps the number one challenge for a Darjeeling tea lover. How does position influence the taste of the teas? Which make consistently good tea throughout the season and which excel in any particular flush? Are the most renowned estates worth their reputation? Who are the emerging players? Enough questions for years of nurturing these fascinating teas.
As I’ve been getting acquainted with a broader range of Darjeeling over the last few years thanks to a regular supply from India, I start getting bit of answers to the above questions. Giddapahar lies high up and makes fragrant teas that are a bit dry in the throat. Jungpana’s tea are always very fruity; Avongrove’s lighter than many. Margaret’s Hope is very good but often no better than teas half the price. Arya, Jungpana, Puttabong are big over-deliverers; Okayti I tend to see as a solid second-league player. The nurturing continues.
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| As often with Castleton and is highish-oxidation teas, the colour of this FF is darkish. |
Today’s 2010 ‘Moonlight’ First Flush (invoice no. Ex-1, available from Tea Emporium for $27 / 100g) from the estate of Castleton provides another quantum of data for that broader picture. A well-sorted grade with small olive green and light beige leaves, it infused a rather pale tea that needs a slightly longer steep to gain much intensity. This tea has good fruit and a balanced body but is not terribly expressive. It lacks the extra layer of spicy complexity of a good first flush Jungpana, and lacks the miraculous touch of plant sap ultrafreshness of the 2010 Puttabong Queen I reviewed here. It is, as all Castleton teas, structured and wholesome but a little conservative, and never the most marking of Darjeelings. It’s a great drinking tea so to speak, but less great as a tasting tea. (In fairness, Castleton is more renowned for its second flush teas, though my feelings about them are similar).
