Wojciech Bońkowski
Master of Wine

2010 Castleton Moonlight

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. 

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). 



Disclaimer
Source of tea: own purchase.

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2009 Hojo Lapsang Souchong

Lapsang Souchong appears to be the gateway to the world of tea for many people. Amidst a diet of no-name blacks and teabags it’s often the first tea people identify with a name and flavour. Perhaps because the latter is so much stronger than most other teas’?
Attila Homonna brewing Lapsang Souchong…
Even during a winery visit and tasting you can be treated to a cup of Lapsang, as shown by Tokaj vigneron Attila Homonna (read post about him here) when we met him in January. (To everybody’s surprise, being a champion of limpid dry white wines, Attila used a hefty dose of sugar with his Lapsang). 
…and enjoying it.

I threw in some Lapsang with my recent order with Hojo Tea, eager to pay a new visit to my own gateway to the world of tea. The remarkable Hojo website includes a very thorough description of this tea that literally whets one’s appetite. I was particularly curious about the dried longan fruit taste, and the declared balanced smokiness. 
To say this tea is unsmokey would be a gross overstatement. The smokey notes are very present and in a long brew of 2 minutes or more the aromatic profile is not so very different from a standard commercial Lapsang. It’s in the flavour that the gap is revealed: Hojo’s is a very clean tea, balanced, smooth and juicy, never degenerating into the bitter, woody, murky notes of cheaper Lapsang. The first impression is of a medium strong smokey taste applied to a fairly high-quality leaf. 
Akira Hojo interestingly encourages to taste this tea in a tasting glass. I found this inspirational, but instead of using the whisky sniffer-like stemless tumbler you can see on Hojo’s website, I used a tasting glass especially designed for sweet wine (Schott-Zwiesel Top 10 series). 

It’s really an interesting experiment. The colour of the tea appears much lighter than in white porcelain, and is a very transparent reddish. What this dessert wine glass does is to make all the aromas subtler. Although it’s hard to pinpoint exactly, there is a myriad of subtle understated aromas in succession: smoke of course, but also dried fruits, honey, nuttiness, smoked meat, baked fruits. One thing that doesn’t really work is taking a sip. It’s an often overlooked aspect of wine tasting glasses but a glass’s rim, or lip, vitally influences how the wine tastes in mouth. Here, the tea appears thin, tart and astringent, because the lip is far too narrow (compare mentally to a tea cup which is far wider, and makes the tea’s entry in mouth completely different). This particular glass was designed to make very sweet wines taste more balanced, and so it’s natural it emphasises acidity and tannins at the expense of sweetness. Lapsang would require just the opposite. 
But another conclusion of this tea-in-glass tasting is that this Lapsang benefits from being brewed very light. Moderate amounts of leaf and flash brewing times render a tea that’s less dominated by smoke and has good subtlety and complexity. But at $45 / 100g I found this a tad pricey. (A 30g purchase is available).
 Source of tea: own purchase.
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2009 Darjeelings (6): Autumn flush

As the first 2010 flush for Darjeeling tea is approaching, it seems fitting to summarise my feelings about 2009’s last, autumn flush. Autumn Darjeeling tea rarely gets any hype, and the tea lover’s attention usually focuses on first or second. I enjoy the former’s finesse and crispness, and the latter’s complexity and full-flavoured summer fruitiness, but I like the autumn teas quite a bit. With their herby, earthy depth and stronger oxidation, they often feel a bit more serious and no-nonsense than the summer flush where the sweet muscatel flavour can get rather repetitive. That’s my feeling, at least.

In any case I’ve enjoyed these eight teas that were sourced from online tea merchant Thunderbolt. Benoy Thapa is doing some great job on the internet including the very comprehensive company website as well as an informative blog and good activity on Facebook. Benoy also provided some exacting tasting notes on all these teas (click on the links to see these, and the excellent photos), so I’ll merely share my personal impressions.

All teas were brewed several times including competition style (2g / 100ml) and large glass pot (250–300 ml with dosage ranging from 2.5 to 5g).

2009 Arya Autumn Flush CL Ex

Arya Clonal Exclusive [DJ125]

[photo above] A well presented long twisted leaf, moderate fragmentation by Darjeeling standards. Dark brown leaves, modestly tippy. Aroma of dried herbs with an almost caramelly, milk-chocolatey sweetness. Glass-brewed with 4g, 2m30s: A peculiar tea, on the high end of oxidation, a little earthy, with autumnal, unsweet, not-too-fruity substance. But has a roundness and dimension of whole(ish)-leaf Darj that’s inimitable. Moderate colour and medium body; astringency is virtually non-existent. I actually liked this brewed lighter on less leaf, when it reaches a rounder, more almondy, less earthy expression: a round, soft, very balanced tea. This is very good not great, and although one of the pricier teas from this batch it’s actually fairly honest at $14 / 100g.

2009 Arya Autumn Flush FTGFOP1

Arya FTGFOP1 [DJ107]

[photo above] Standard machine-processed fragmented Darj leaf, not tippy but with a few unoxidised greenish leaf bits. Aroma is perhaps more nutty and chestnutty than usual. Warmed leaf is bready, sweet, less herby. Brewed leaf is rather green; some proportion of twigs. Brewed in glass pot (4g/250ml) this has a medium beige colour, a mild, fleshy, vaguely muscatelish aroma that is simple but good, and a mild balanced flavour with no special merits but pretty good quality for its fragmented leaf. On the finish there is a hint of dryness, atypically for my brewing regime. In fact it’s easy to overbrew, though even when quite bitter and drying on the finish it generates a sweet yun sensation. In a word this has a bit more guts than others autumn flushes, and is very good indeed, especially at $7.

2009 Castleton Autumn Flush FTGFOP1 TPY CL

Castleton FTGFOP1 Tippy Clonal [DJ312]

[photo above] A very conservative fragmented leaf grade, negligible tips, generic black tea & brown bag aroma. This is a bit less exciting to look at than other teas on this tasting. Brew has a nice colour, not too dark. A little summer-flushy in character with a ripe red fruitiness of red apples. Just some grip on end, even with a longish brewing. No muscatel: mostly baked apples and nuts. This is wholesome but a little generic and while not a pain at $7 / 100g, lacks a bit of personality to me.

2009 Giddapahar Autumn Flush CH Delight

Giddapahar China Delight [DJ58]

[photo above] Similar grade but even less distinctive than the Castleton TPY CL above, smaller and brownier leaf. However in the cup it is a different animal. You can push this quite far, the colour is not very dark and profile is better than expected. A light-bodied, grapey, sweet-fruity muscatelish style, broad and full on the palate (these characteristics are emphasises in a longer brew) but untannic, and even the autumnal herby character is very low. The fruit character and the suggestive muscatel note are really appetizing. Very good tea, and a bargain at $5.

2009 Goomtee Autumn Flush Light CL Tips

Goomtee Light Clonal Tips [EX26]

This, together with the Margaret’s Hope tea below, is quite different from the other teas in this batch in consisting of very well-handled large, wholish hand-processed leaf vaguely resembling a baimudan white tea, including silvery tips, brownish thin huangpian flakes, relatively few stems. The aroma is very herby and bergamottey, with a sweeter baked bread scent when leaves are warmed. Expired leaves are consistently green and rather thin, plantation-like.

2009 Goomtee Autumn Flush Light CL Tips

Logically this brews a lightish peachy colour that is only mildly black-tea scented. Flavour is light and fruity (apples, peaches) with no astringency and a touch of roundness, but also citrusy and bone-dry with good length. This is very well-presented leaf-and-bud quality, what Darjeeling should be doing more often to compare more favourably with the best Chinese blacks, but rarely does. Short of greatness but very enjoyable and more than fairly priced at $10 / 100g.

2009 Goomtee Autumn Flush Light CL Tips

2009 Margaret’s Hope Autumn Flush Thunderbolt

Margaret’s Hope Thunderbolt [DJ565]

[photo above and below] A variation on the above, but an even more impressive whole leaf grade, mixing white tips, some oxidised leaves, and quite a few flat unrolled greenish ‘flakes’. Aroma is faint, bergamottey, slightly reinforced into bready bake with warmth. Brewed competition style: A surprisingly light colour! (Although oxidising into a medium beige quite quickly in the cup). Aroma is faint, a bit oxidative / black tea-like. Clean, appley attack with succulent fruit. This is kept light but a black tea not an oolong, uncomplex and not so very fruity but has some impressive yun sweetness on the finish. Also some lovely spiciness. Really a delicious expression of Darjeeling. There’s another pleasant if less full and precise brewing behind.

2009 Margaret’s Hope Autumn Flush Thunderbolt

This is even more outstanding in a large pot (4g / 250+ml), with lovely transparency of flavour and again that Darjeeling typicity without extraction and astringency. This is one tea that I would like to try with a high dosage in clay pot, like a Wuyi oolong. $16 / 100g: expensive by regional standards but more than fair for the quality. ($16 would buy you a very average Wuyi oolong).

2009 Risheehat Autumn Flush SFTGFOP1 Wiry

Risheehat SFTGFOP1 Wiry [DJ562]

[photo above] True to their ‘Wiry’ name, leaves have an elongated straight aspect; small and fragmented. Quite some twigs, no tips. Not an exhilarating grade. Brewed leaf fragments are very small, uniformly brown, reminiscent of some gongfu grade Qimens or black Yunnans. Medium+ beige, a lighter colour than expected. A balanced cup with a nutty, typically autumnal character and just minor grip on end. But uncomplex and ultimately a little simplistic. Better balance in a larger pot, with the tannins kept at bay. This surely on the more oxidised end of the spectrum, with a somewhat malty, chewy character vaguely reminiscent of an Assam, but brewed light this can be kept at bay, though at the expense of complexity. This is good tea, but not quite my style. $7.

2009 Sungma Turzum Autumn Flush Clonal Wonder

Sungma Turzum Clonal Wonder [DJ22]

[photo above and below] Small leaves, minor tips, intense aroma. A reasonably good grade, but not that makes me ‘wonder’. Brewed light with 90s, a moderate brown-reddish colour and again a rather intense aroma of dried fruits and apple pie. The oxidation is very balanced and the dry, herby aromas of autumn flush are underpinned by an almost second-flushy fruit exuberance: apples, raisins, plums. This is definitely good, and showing that Darjeeling needn’t be a whole-leaf extravagance like the Margaret’s Hope above to deliver superior character. The only criticism is that this Clonal Wonder is a bit uncomplex. Especially when left too long in the cup or the decanting jug, when it loses its fruity breadth and becomes quite tannic, though not astringent. Through several brewing attempts I came to the conclusion that large pot and short steeps work best. If brewed stronger, this remains rather simple and becomes overtannic for my tastes, with muted fruit and a rather ordinary profile. Good value at $8.

2009 Sungma Turzum Autumn Flush Clonal Wonder

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Impressive tea from Nepal

The power of blogging. Although I don’t write about tea in Polish, my tea reviews on this blog were read by the good people at Polish web tea shop Čajografia, which resulted in a nice e-mail and a box of samples arriving at Domaine Bońkowski. Having tasted one of Čajografia’s excellent black teas in the past, I was excited at the prospect of tasting through their specialities: Nepalese teas. 
Aneta and Artur Woźniak travel the tea regions in search of good teas and people. They’re offering a limited range of interesting stuff from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Darjeeling and even Malawi. Judging by these five teas they really have a good nose. Their offerings are also extremely affordable, ranging from the equivalent of 4 to 5€ / 100g.
Green Hill (I assume 2009) is a Nepalese green tea from Ilam Tea Factory. For those familiar with Himalayan green tea e.g. from Darjeeling, this tea will come as a shock. It has nothing to do with the under-oxidised black teas that seem to be the common denominator in the region. Instead, it is made like a Japanese sencha, with moderately fragmented flat needle-shaped leaves being steamed and then fired. These Nepalese leaves are very well-processed. The steaming here has been light (asamushi), resulting in a transparent light green brew that would easily pass for a sencha in a blind tasting. It is perhaps a little darker in colour and stronger in flavour than a good asamushi, and the finish is less grassy, with an echo of nuttiness (as well as mint and lime) on the finish that is more Chinese in style (Longjing coming to mind). It also lacks the glutinous umami expansiveness that is typical of Japanese tea when brewed at lower temperature. Some bitterness here, although that seems easy to control with brewing parameters. My preferred ones are water at 70C, and 60 seconds. This is definitely good-quality tea and a very good imitation of a Japanese green. 
From the Jun Chiyabari estate comes this Himalayan Somabar black tea that is a 2009 SFTGFOP1 1st flush. Small Darjeeling-styled leaves with a mixture of brown and black colours, some tips, (photo above) and a strongly herby, almost sulphury aroma. The spent leaves are predominantly green in colour, showing some good careful processing (photo below). The colour in the cup is also rather light: more orange than ruby. 
This is a simple, rather unaromatic tea with a degree of tannic bitterness (perhaps derived from a bit of breakage in the sample). Bone-dry in taste, with a good moment of fruitiness (dried apricots?) and reasonable activity. Clearly losing a bit of freshness already, though surely not the most declined of 2009 1st flushes. Good. 
I also tried three teas from the Kuwapani estate in the region of Dankhuty. White Peony is, you guessed it, a white tea: looking at the dry leaf above it is easily identified as a Chinese baimudan style (containing both leaves and hairy buds). I drink little white tea and tend to go for the higher yinzhen grades when I do, but I’ve not seen such an immaculately processed baimudan before. There is not a single broken leaf, and the two-leaves-and-a-bud systems are impressively presented. There are minor signs of oxidation on the stem ends, otherwise you get tea leaves in a beautifully unadulterated condition (photo below). Brewed 4 minutes at 70C, this is a clean tea of good character, not very intense, showing a certain pea-like vegetality or even fishiness on top of the more usual flowery, herby notes. Unaggressive and seamless without the faintest shade of bitterness. Very flexible in terms of brewing parameters, this can also be infused 10+ minutes. Typically for baimudan styles this is not showing the ultimate finesse of yinzhen, with a bit of extra body and ‘grit’ on the palate. Really an enjoyable tea. 
The Makalu Mellow is a 2009 2nd flush black tea graded as STGFOP1 ‘Tippy’. The latter is certainly true, and the leaf is well-processed with moderate fragmentation in a Darjeeling style. Very good aroma: high-grade bitter chocolate and orange spice are added to the usual dried herbs. Infused leaves are a consistent high-oxidation brown. A clean good-quality cup: medium deep ruby colour in the glass, moderately intense aroma, getting rather chocolatey as it cools down. I like a longer infusion on less dosage here, for its thick body and impressive consistency. Not a very distinctive tea but as good as a high-profile 2nd flush Darjeeling (and remember this is very cheap). 
The star of the tasting is another black tea from Kuwapani, the Makalu Flowery (a 1st flush STGFOP1 ‘Tippy’ 2009). Opening the pack with its explosive dried herby, smokey, bergamottey bouquet reveals some outstanding tea leaves (see photo above). Huge leaf-and-bud systems are impeccably processed with no breakage whatsoever and little oxidation on the leaf. And look at the infused leaves: I don’t think I’ve ever seen such immaculate leaves in a black tea, anytime, anywhere. Predictably this brews a rather light peach colour, with the aroma of a light, herby, mildly firsty-flushy Darjeeling. The flavour on palate is expansive with quite a bit of power and bitterness on end, perhaps lacking a bit of mid-palate body and intensity (typically for a whole-leaf tea). But this tea holds back a lot, and can be reinfused several times atypically for a black tea, behaving more like a high-oxidation oolong (when steepings are kept short). There is also some outstanding huigan sweetness in the aftertaste. This is a tea of impressive integrity and fantastic personality, one of the best blacks I’ve tasted. What a surprise this should come from Nepal.


Disclaimer: There is a growing concern on the internet about the integrity of bloggers and hidden conflicts of interest. For the sake of clarity I will now be indicating the source of teas / wines tasted, trips made etc.


Source of the 5 teas reviewed above: samples provided by the importer.
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2009 Darjeelings (5): Makaibari

Makaibari is one of Darjeeling’s leading tea estates. Biodynamic farming is practiced here, an absolute rarity in Asia. I taste four 2009 teas, including two less-than-successful greens.

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2009 Darjeelings (4): Giddapahar & Okayti

The leaves are dead…

Long live the leaves!

More 2009 Darjeeling on the tasting table today. Two releases from the high-perched Giddapahar estate renowned for its highly aromatic teas.

The 1st Flush SFTGFOP1 ($3 / 100g from Lochan Tea; bottom leaves in the photo above and below) shows a contradiction between the visual aspect and the actual flavour. The dry leaf, wet leaf and brewed tea colour are announcing a fairly light tea: leaves are green, brew is apricotty-orange, while this tea actually packs in quite a bit of punch, with a bitterish, dry finish. The chewiness and murkiness are also signs of high oxidation. This however remains clean, with good intensity and not without interest but lacks the precision and distinctiveness of the best 2009 1st flushes.

Giddapahar 2nd (top) and 1st flush (bottom) after 5 minutes of infusion.

The 2nd Flush FTGFOP1 ($2 / 100g from Lochanagain; top  samples on the two photos above) looks considerably more brown and oxidised than the above tea,plus the grade is somewhat lower and more rustic, with a high amount ofstems. Brews a very dark cup with a malty-purple hue. I’ve only had onelucky shot with this tea, a competition brewing soon after receiving thesample in June: a dark aromatic register with plummy fruit, wet earth, highoxidation; balanced astringency within a voluminous, raisiney, almostchocolatey, quite individual mouthfeel. 
Giddapahar 2nd Flush FTGFOP1, expired leaf after 5 minutes.

But subsequent tastings have been very underwhelming, and the tea has developed an odd intensity of smokey, herby, onion-like, sulphury notes over the summer. The same, in fact, is true of the 1st Flush. Retasting alongside this morning both teas were on the verge of offensive. That’s quite an odd twist of tea leaf evolution. 
The Okayti tea estate is rarely on anyone’s absolute favourite group but produces a reliable tea from its plantations that are among the region’s highest. This 2009 1st Flush FTGFOP1 China Special ($3 / 100g from Lochan; pictured above) is an excellent tea. A good grade with some tips, it has a herby, bergamotty aroma with hints of nuts and citrus. Light in body but high in tannins, it is a delicate tea that’s quite easy to overbrew; I actually prefer a second long brewing here for its fruitier, less tangy balance. Fresh and lively, not among the season’s best, but then more resilient in time than many. I’ll surely be seeking more teas from this estate.
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2009 Darjeelings (3): Jungpana

Top to bottom: Autumn Delight, Imperial Muscatel, 2nd Flush Clonal, 1st Flush.
All brewed 5 minutes on 2g of leaf for 100ml water.

The independent tea estate of Jungpana might not enjoy the reputation of more centrally located gardens such as Castleton or Margaret’s Hope but has its loyal followers. I’m one of them. This year Jungpana has presented the best line-up of my (admittedly limited) 2009 tastings. Here are notes on four teas from three different flushes. (All sourced from Lochan Tea Ltd.).
The 1st Flush FTGFOP1 is simply a delightful first flush rendition of Darjeeling. The leaves are small and moderately tippy. Interestingly they show none of the fashionable green of modern Darjeeling productions: the oxidation is high, and the aroma is unfruity, quite spicy, and with enough notes of bergamot to pass for a light Earl Grey. The grade is high and the leaf selection has been very good: this is less of an indistinct mash than many a Darjeeling expired leaf.
Consequently to its highish oxidation it brews a deepish colour: although my initial brewings were warm amber-brown (as above) ,in a comparative ‘competition-style’ tasting (see photo at top of post, the 1st flush is first bottom) it’s a pretty medium-dark brown. Aroma is generic but not bad, echoing the bergamot of the nose in a lower key. A balanced cup, medium-bodied with good length and pleasantly citrusy-flavoured tannins on end. Hardly very complex but I like the balance and semi-ligthness here. However, this tea has quite some power up its sleeve and can become hefty when overbrewed but is deliciously clean with a lovely dried fruits expression. The only drawback is that my sample has deteriorated over a few months and what remains is yielding a less distinctive, walnutty tea with none of its former finesse. (I find this typical of first flush Darjeelings which really behave much like early-drinking primeur teas).
 
The 2nd flush Imperial Muscatel is well-presented with largish leaves and few tips; it has a very exciting scent of milk chocolate and other complex notes of herbs and dried fruits. Reasonably deep-coloured, it is all about harmony and complexity. It exudes a sense of calmness, depth and dimension. The tannins are very fused into a broad, almost mellow whole, although the tea by no means light. There’s a ripe, summery sense of second-flushness to this, quite different to the herby drive of the above FF. The empty cup aroma is especially noteworthy: summery, warm, spicy. (The famous muscatel scent escapes me here, though). 
Tremendous complexity and balance but also considerable concealed power: just for fun I brewed it gongfu-style (photo above: the colour is slightly lighter but less than you would think given the infusion time relation is 5 minutes : 25 seconds) and it generated a very exciting 7 infusions with a fantastic chocolatey-roasted aroma cup, and a fair bit of potency; the earthy tannins are not far removed from a good Wuyi yancha. Remarkable tea and by some distance my favourite 2nd flush of this season.
 
Another 2nd flush is the FTGFOP1 Clonal. This one is fairly light, as preannounced by the leaf which is greener and tippier than even the FF here, with an intense smokey-bergamottey aroma. The cup is light-coloured (see photo at top of page, second bottom), peachy-amber in colour, with an exciting if short-lived aroma of fresh leaves, mown grass, freshly polished wood, with subsidiary notes of fresh summer fruits (peaches). Astringency is there, ending the palate progression in a crescendo. A nice tea, much more first than second flush in character, and if not compared to the vastly superior Imperial Muscatel above, really quite good.
 
The Autumn Delight is, obviously, from the autumn flush. After two remarkable and one very good tea this one is only good. A standard Darjeeling smallish leaf with some lighter brown hues to the whole but few tips, it boasts a lovely dry leaf aroma: more humid and fresh than the second flushes, gloriously intense fresh wood and walnut notes. The infusion starts with intense fruitiness (candied fruits: mango, cherries), mild spice, good concentration but little in the way of tannins. I like the balance and the feeling of effortless quality that is usual with Jungpana but it’s the least immediately engaging of their 2009 releases: it’s rather simple and one-dimensional. After the dry leaf aroma the biggest moment of interest is in the finish which is poignantly hazelnutty. Representative of an autumnal flush in being less generous, more bone-dry, less fruity than a second flush. 
2009 2nd Flush Imperial Muscatel: large leaves.
 
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2009 Darjeelings (2): Castleton

Castleton is one of the most famous Darjeeling tea gardens and according to a self-description you can read here, is particularly renowned for its intensely aromatic second flush muscatels. The latter found a confirmation in my tasting, with the additional advantage that the two teas tasted here are extremely representative of their flushes and genre. Both teas are sourced from Lochan Tea Ltd.
The 1st Flush FTGFOP1 Special (photo above and below) has small tippy leaves in a wide variety of green and light brown colours: it couldn’t look more 1st flush-typical. The wet leaf shows moderate oxidation and a good leaf selection. The dry leaf aroma is quite herby and earthy and less citrusy than many 1st flush Darjeelings this season.
The tea brews a surprisingly deep colour that shows this straight away to be one of the more structured 1st flushes, excitingly complete, dense and flavourful. But the texture remains light as befits a spring picking and so the assertive tannins that arrive at the end are really let loose. Their flavour is earthy, fully oxidised, less citrusy-bitterish than many 1st flushes. This is really good tea with plenty of personality. (Though on a side note, it seems to have deteriorated a bit since my first brewings in June; retastes this morning alongside the 2nd flush, it is now quite light, less flavourful at mid-palate, and tannins are sharper than before, though very clean).
The 2nd flush FTGFOP1 China Special (wet leaf above and below) is less tippy than the above tea, with a darker, more oxidative leaf appearance (consistent brown colours). The aroma is very intense, mixing chocolatey richness with mild herbiness. The milk chocolate aroma is reminiscent of a Chinese oolong tea from Wuyi.

This is showing classic Castleton character (as I understand it): balanced, stately, even lofty Darjeeling. It isn’t particularly aromatic in the brew and not so very muscatel-driven, but has a sweet fruity (dried fruits), almost honeyed flavour and dense texture at mid-palate that make it very attractive. Oxidation is rather high and the perception of the astringency is different from the above 1st flush: the tea tastes rounder, less drying, and the tannins are more walnuty in flavour than the earthy, woodsy 1st flush. Brewed alongside this ‘China Special’ is more complete and preferable to the 1st flush ‘Special’ (though as mentioned it might have to do with the latter sample’s freshness). It is not a particularly vivid or poised tea but for balance and breadth, is surely in the top league of Darjeeeling. (See Facebook discussion of this tea). 

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2009 Darjeelings (1): Margaret’s Hope

Over the next few days I’ll be posting reviews on a wide range of 2009 Darjeeling teas (interspersed with some wine talk for those uninterested in tea). All these are first and second flush teas sourced from Lochan Tea Ltd. but coming from renowned gardens, they can easily be obtained from other merchants. All teas were tasted several times including in competition standard (2g / 100ml boiling water / 5 minutes) and in large pot; my tasting notes are a summary of those several tastings.
Today I look at three samples from the Margaret’s Hope Estate, on which there’s information here.  
A. 1st Flush FTGFOP1 China Special  
B. 2nd Flush FTGFOP1  
C. 2nd Flush Muscatel (see Facebook tasting) 
 2009 1st and 2nd Flush assessment.
As a side note, I remain confused by the many subgrades and additional appellations of Darjeeling teas. While it’s more or less clear what an FTGFOP1 is, the difference between various FTGFOP1s from the same estate and same flush isn’t clear at all. Nor is it easily grasped what ‘China’, ‘Clonal’, ‘Special’ mean, while other categories such as ‘Tippy’, ‘Imperial’, ‘Muscatel’ are entirely discretional. 
It’s the usual practice of most merchants to offer a tea generically named Margaret’s Hope First Flush. There being several dozen second flush offerings from Margaret’s Hope, it’s always necessary to ask for a more specific name. But when, like in this case from Lochan, you learn that the tea in question is a First Flush FTGFOP1 China Special, how does it differ from a First Flush FTGFOP1 that’s not China and not Special? I’m often of the impression that even tea estate managers are rather vague on this. For easy reference and comparison it would be so much more useful to code teas with a ‘bin number’ or similar, so you’d know the First Flush FTGFOP1 #138 is the same you tried a few months ago from another source. Am I being too meticulous?  
1st Flush FTGFOP1 China Special and 2nd Flush FTGFOP1.
On to the teas. The dry and wet leaf shows some minor differences that can be summarised thus: ‘C’ is more fragmented than ‘A’ or ‘B’. ‘A’ and ‘B’ are similar in showing impressively healthy, intact young leaves, but ‘B’ has somewhat larger leaves. A seems to have a bit more tips than ‘B’, which has very few. The leaf oxidation on all three samples is moderate, leaves are of the lighter shades of brown, and show a pleasantly crisp, herby-spicy (bergamotty) aroma, although ‘C’ is a little fruitier, applier, with a hint of that elusive grapey ‘muscatel’ character.  
The above being said, the differences in flavour areminor. If tea ever has the bad luck to be rated on a 100-point scalesimilarly to wine, I’d score these teas less than 1 point apart.   
Tea‘A’ is the lightest of the three and has the most pronounced bouquet ofdried aromatic herbs (verbena / bergamot). It has good body and goodlength but very limited astringency. It shows a dynamism and poignancythat ‘B’ and ‘C’ are lacking. On the finish there’s a pronounced nutty(hazelnutty?) note.   
Tea‘B’ is best described as ‘complete’. It is a bit less punchy than ‘A’but adds just a bit more roundness and mid-palate filling. Thanks tothis, it seems even less tannic than ‘A’. There might just be a touchmore oxidation. Still light-bodied but deeper. Excellent tea.
2009 2nd Flush Muscatel.

Tea ‘C’ is centered around that faint grapey-appley ‘muscatel’ note. It is also a little drier on the throat, showing a more autumnal character than the 2nd Flush ‘B’. It is easier to overbrew (fragmented leaves), and contrasts with the light citrusy character of ‘A’. I’m much enjoying the second brewing here, which shows an exciting muscatel and bitter chocolate character. But in a way it’s the least eloquent of the three. A slightly lower grade?

This is a trio of seriously good teas from one of Darjeeling’s most famous estates. But I often find Margaret’s Hope teas to be somewhat on the safe side. Their aroma and flavour are consistently in the middle of the Darjeeling spectrum. The quality is very good indeed but I find them to lack the assertiveness of e.g. Castleton, the precision of Jungpana or the sprite of Giddapahar. The 2009 2nd Flush Muscatel is a good example. It has all you can expect from its appellation but somehow lacks sparkle.
2009 2nd Flush Muscatel.
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Some Assams


I rarely drink any black tea, and when I do, I tend to go for the lighter styles such as Darjeeling, or complex Chinese teas I have a weakness for such as Yunnan. So Assam – the strongest black tea in Asia – is never high on my list. 
It was interesting, therefore, to operate a full-immersion Assam course tasting six teas sourced from Lochan Tea Ltd. Two (teas B and D on the list below) are part of the ongoing online tasting on Facebook while the remaining four were part of the free 2nd Flush sampler pack I ordered back in June (and which is still available – see here). 
Let me just say that the tasting revealed an unexpected richness of styles. I was expecting all teas to conform to the deeply coloured, full-bodied, tannic, chunky Assam stereotype but several samples actually showed quite some complexity and elegance. Plus it must be mentioned these teas offer tremendous value for money: they range from $1 to $4 per 100g which is several times less than good Chinese black teas and 50% less than a good Darjeeling.
All teas are 2009 2nd flushes from Assam and all were brewed competition-style (2g of leaf / 100ml boiling water / 5 minutes). 
A. Budlabeta FTGFOP1 
B. Harmutty Golden Paw 
C. Harmutty FTGFOP1 Tippy 
D. Hattialli Golden Bud 
E. Rembeng FTGFOP1 Clonal
F. Sewpur SFTGFOP1
Top row, A to C, bottom row, D to F.
The dry leaf shows the great stylistic diversity of these six teas: 
A. Highish grade (but leaves larger than other samples), negligible tips. Subdued aroma, unpushy oxidation, dried fruit/spicy: mulled orange, minor chocolate; caramel and red fruit jam too from warmed leaves. 
B. Good grade, good proportion of golden tips/buds, but ‘Golden Paw’ is a little over-indulgent. Aroma not so oxidation-driven, quite sweet (brown sugar), minor spice, inviting. 
C. The name says it all: this is tippy tea! Dominated by orange-amber tips (>50%). Aroma close to a Darjeeling: subtly herby, spicy (bergamot), more lifted, far less chocolatey and charcoaly than Assam average. 
D. Good grade, deep black colour, around 20–30% tips yielding a brighter, orangey-spicy aroma to the deeply smokey, fully-oxidised aroma. Warmed leaf smell less attractive. 
E. Another über-tippy Assam, very well-processed, abundantly hairy, orange-coloured tips (~50%), remaining leaves more brown than black in colour. Distinctive, very sweet aroma, almost grapey (muscatel?), dried red fruits; little obvious oxidation, no herbiness. 
F. Good grade, conservative blend, small leaves, not very dark colour, negligible tips. Aroma subdued, earthy, herby, black-teaish, minor bitter chocolate. Expecting a bone-dry tea no-nonsense tea. 
As you can see the difference in colour between the infused teas is very minor: 
Tasting notes: 
A. Pleasant dried fruits aroma (prunes perhaps) but unremarkable flavour, black-teaish (later Chinese mushrooms and seaweed, odd). Ordinary with little personality. Not too tannic. 
B. Deepest colour of all. Meaty, chewy, deep aroma, Assam-typical with good depth of taste. Very tannic, easy to overbrew, a bit low on fruit. In the comparative tasting this is underwhelming and unbalanced. Lochan Tea recommend to brew this at 82C and as odd as it seems it makes sense: a much lighter version no black or purple hues, good fruit, echoes of dry leaf sweet treacly note; chewy, earthy Assam notes kept in the background. A little vague and unstructured with a chunky finish but better than with boiling water. 
Harmutty 2009 FTGFOP1 Tippy: almost looking like a Darjeeling.
C. Standard parameters bring an unexpectedly hefty tea but fairly complete, with unaggressive tannins and excellent length (as always with buds). Even better when brewed lighter, wonderful tea, subtly spicy, juicy, mildly Oriental Beauty-like in the incomplete oxidation, not really tannic. Brilliant value. But positively un-Assamish. 
D. Deep brown colour. Restrained aroma: rich, malty. Lovely balance in taste, very good tea, broad, voluminous and complete. Perhaps most tannic of six. Big, assertive. Here again Lochan recommend brewing at 90C giving some unexpected sophistication and softness in taste. Very different than C but excellent. 

Hattialli 2009 Golden Bud: a classic Assam colour.

E. Extra fruitiness on nose, orangey, citrusy, bright, open. Nice balanced tannins. Nuanced and balanced. Surely best of flight together with C. Easy to brew, the tannins are so balanced you have to push it hard to get any astringency. Fantastic value.
F. Simplest of six, linear and uncomplex. Unremarkable and somewhat diluted even at high dosage. Not so much power even brewed with a heavy hand. Decent quality, cleaner and preferable to A. 
Wet leaf appearance and final remarks: 
A. Expired leaves quite thick and coarse, high amount of stalks. Wet leaf smells very earthy with minor fruit sweetness. Ordinary tea and clearly a lower grade (so why is it called an FTGFOP1). 
B. Wet leaf is not bad showing an amount of tips, however this is a bit unbalanced and takes some extra care in the brewing to produce a good cup. Good not great. Best thing about this tea is the evocative ‘Golden Paw’ name. 
Expired leaf of Harmutty 2009 FTGFOP1 Tippy.
C. About the highest grade I’ve seen in a black tea: wondrously healthy bud-and-leaf systems with not a particle of broken leaf. Thoroughly lovely from looking at the dry leaves to finishing the second brew cup. And it’s only $4 / 100g. 
Expired leaf of Hattialli 2009 Golden Bud.
D. Nothing special about the wet leaf, seems less tippy than B but surely tastes better, a well-presented, balanced and complete tea, classic Assam with some extra elegance and character, recommended. 
E. Wet leaf similar to C, lots of tips, intact leaf. Clearly a special small lot production. Brilliant tea at a ridiculous $2 / 100g although in the end I preferred C by a minor margin. 
F. Wet leaf plain-looking, good grade with no fannings but nowhere the tippy extravagance of C and E. Small chopped leaves but at least not the coarse lower-grade leaf of A. Ordinary but not bad.
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