Hello, all,
Please don't consider this SPAM or even a recommendation (since I've
never actually had any of these teas).
I know some posters really do enjoy Darjeeling. The following was sent
to me through a reader list and I thought some of you may want to take
advantage of this particular sale.
I've heard some good things about this vendor (and no, I have no
vested interest).
Anyway, the sale items are being shipped FREE worldwide and this
includes the USA (which, apparently, this vendor does not always
include in the free shipping list).
So, if you want to take advantage of this, it's up to you.
If you do, please share your reviews.

http://www.thunderbolttea.com/pages/...ng_tea s.html

Shen

On Jul 9, 3:13 am, Shen wrote:
Hello, all,
Please don't consider this SPAM or even a recommendation (since I've
never actually had any of these teas).
I know some posters really do enjoy Darjeeling. The following was sent
to me through a reader list and I thought some of you may want to take
advantage of this particular sale.
I've heard some good things about this vendor (and no, I have no
vested interest).
Anyway, the sale items are being shipped FREE worldwide and this
includes the USA (which, apparently, this vendor does not always
include in the free shipping list).
So, if you want to take advantage of this, it's up to you.
If you do, please share your reviews.

http://www.thunderbolttea.com/pages/...k_offer_discou...

Shen

Shen,

Thanks for passing this on. I drink a lot of Darjeeling and have to
stock up on my yearly visits to the States, because I live in Taiwan!
I love oolong, but sometimes I need my cup of tea with milk and
sugar.

BTW, this sale refers to various batches from 2006 . . . How long
might we expect Darjeelings or other blacks to retain their character?
When I buy green tea, particularly Sencha from Japan, I usually have
only 4 or 5 months . . .

I've never had a problem with stale black tea, but I'm curious, how
long can a typical black tea last?

Thanks--

On Jul 10, 1:17 pm, mgford25 wrote:
On Jul 9, 3:13 am, Shen wrote:





Hello, all,
Please don't consider this SPAM or even a recommendation (since I've
never actually had any of these teas).
I know some posters really do enjoy Darjeeling. The following was sent
to me through a reader list and I thought some of you may want to take
advantage of this particular sale.
I've heard some good things about this vendor (and no, I have no
vested interest).
Anyway, the sale items are being shipped FREE worldwide and this
includes the USA (which, apparently, this vendor does not always
include in the free shipping list).
So, if you want to take advantage of this, it's up to you.
If you do, please share your reviews.

http://www.thunderbolttea.com/pages/...k_offer_discou...

Shen

Shen,

Thanks for passing this on. I drink a lot of Darjeeling and have to
stock up on my yearly visits to the States, because I live in Taiwan!
I love oolong, but sometimes I need my cup of tea with milk and
sugar.

BTW, this sale refers to various batches from 2006 . . . How long
might we expect Darjeelings or other blacks to retain their character?
When I buy green tea, particularly Sencha from Japan, I usually have
only 4 or 5 months . . .

I've never had a problem with stale black tea, but I'm curious, how
long can a typical black tea last?

Thanks--- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'm sorry; I really don't know that much about keeping Darjeelings.
The few I've had I bought from Lochan and they were delicious, so I
shared or drank them pretty quickly!
I imagine if they are sealed properly, kept from temp extremes and
light, they would keep as an oolong would.
Shen

On Jul 11, 1:17 am, mgford25 wrote:
On Jul 9, 3:13 am, Shen wrote:





Hello, all,
Please don't consider this SPAM or even a recommendation (since I've
never actually had any of these teas).
I know some posters really do enjoy Darjeeling. The following was sent
to me through a reader list and I thought some of you may want to take
advantage of this particular sale.
I've heard some good things about this vendor (and no, I have no
vested interest).
Anyway, the sale items are being shipped FREE worldwide and this
includes the USA (which, apparently, this vendor does not always
include in the free shipping list).
So, if you want to take advantage of this, it's up to you.
If you do, please share your reviews.

http://www.thunderbolttea.com/pages/...k_offer_discou...

Shen

Shen,

Thanks for passing this on. I drink a lot of Darjeeling and have to
stock up on my yearly visits to the States, because I live in Taiwan!
I love oolong, but sometimes I need my cup of tea with milk and
sugar.

BTW, this sale refers to various batches from 2006 . . . How long
might we expect Darjeelings or other blacks to retain their character?
When I buy green tea, particularly Sencha from Japan, I usually have
only 4 or 5 months . . .

I've never had a problem with stale black tea, but I'm curious, how
long can a typical black tea last?

Thanks--- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

a darjeeling black tea if from the first flush retains its character
for 3 to 5 months at the maximum an dif from the second flush then - 8
to 10 months at the maximum.

regards
ankit

On Jul 11, 2:27 am, Shen wrote:
On Jul 10, 1:17 pm, mgford25 wrote:





On Jul 9, 3:13 am, Shen wrote:

Hello, all,
Please don't consider this SPAM or even a recommendation (since I've
never actually had any of these teas).
I know some posters really do enjoy Darjeeling. The following was sent
to me through a reader list and I thought some of you may want to take
advantage of this particular sale.
I've heard some good things about this vendor (and no, I have no
vested interest).
Anyway, the sale items are being shipped FREE worldwide and this
includes the USA (which, apparently, this vendor does not always
include in the free shipping list).
So, if you want to take advantage of this, it's up to you.
If you do, please share your reviews.

http://www.thunderbolttea.com/pages/...k_offer_discou...

Shen

Shen,

Thanks for passing this on. I drink a lot of Darjeeling and have to
stock up on my yearly visits to the States, because I live in Taiwan!
I love oolong, but sometimes I need my cup of tea with milk and
sugar.

BTW, this sale refers to various batches from 2006 . . . How long
might we expect Darjeelings or other blacks to retain their character?
When I buy green tea, particularly Sencha from Japan, I usually have
only 4 or 5 months . . .

I've never had a problem with stale black tea, but I'm curious, how
long can a typical black tea last?

Thanks--- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'm sorry; I really don't know that much about keeping Darjeelings.
The few I've had I bought from Lochan and they were delicious, so I
shared or drank them pretty quickly!
I imagine if they are sealed properly, kept from temp extremes and
light, they would keep as an oolong would.
Shen- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

if the teas are kept properly then they retain for 8 to 10 months - if
the conditions and the storage is not adequate then the teas do not
have the freshness after 5 months.

regards
ankit

On Jul 11, 12:57 am, Ankit Lochan wrote:
On Jul 11, 2:27 am, Shen wrote:





On Jul 10, 1:17 pm, mgford25 wrote:

On Jul 9, 3:13 am, Shen wrote:

Hello, all,
Please don't consider this SPAM or even a recommendation (since I've
never actually had any of these teas).
I know some posters really do enjoy Darjeeling. The following was sent
to me through a reader list and I thought some of you may want to take
advantage of this particular sale.
I've heard some good things about this vendor (and no, I have no
vested interest).
Anyway, the sale items are being shipped FREE worldwide and this
includes the USA (which, apparently, this vendor does not always
include in the free shipping list).
So, if you want to take advantage of this, it's up to you.
If you do, please share your reviews.

http://www.thunderbolttea.com/pages/...k_offer_discou...

Shen

Shen,

Thanks for passing this on. I drink a lot of Darjeeling and have to
stock up on my yearly visits to the States, because I live in Taiwan!
I love oolong, but sometimes I need my cup of tea with milk and
sugar.

BTW, this sale refers to various batches from 2006 . . . How long
might we expect Darjeelings or other blacks to retain their character?
When I buy green tea, particularly Sencha from Japan, I usually have
only 4 or 5 months . . .

I've never had a problem with stale black tea, but I'm curious, how
long can a typical black tea last?

Thanks--- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'm sorry; I really don't know that much about keeping Darjeelings.
The few I've had I bought from Lochan and they were delicious, so I
shared or drank them pretty quickly!
I imagine if they are sealed properly, kept from temp extremes and
light, they would keep as an oolong would.
Shen- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

if the teas are kept properly then they retain for 8 to 10 months - if
the conditions and the storage is not adequate then the teas do not
have the freshness after 5 months.

regards
ankit- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I would think teas "on sale" would be beginning to fade, else why
would they be on sale? But at any rate, they might be just the thing
for a daily midmorning cup. Toci

Sales at my local tea shoppe are basically overstock, replacement
stock, and slow demand. It's money in my pocket. I tell my vendors
let me know when you are having a sale. I'll usually bite at half
off.

Jim

toci wrote:
....other posts...
I would think teas "on sale" would be beginning to fade, else why
would they be on sale? But at any rate, they might be just the thing
for a daily midmorning cup. Toci

On Jul 10, 10:17 pm, mgford25 wrote:
I've never had a problem with stale black tea, but I'm curious, how
long can a typical black tea last?

I have posted some observations related to storing Darjeelings a while
ago but have done some experiments in the meantime. To keep it short:a
lot of teas that are sold in Darjeeling town are packed "traditional
style" - in a paper bag that is loosely wrapped in some aluminized
paper, the whole affair held together with a string. While this might
take care of nostalgic feelings and be just OK for some quick airmail
shipping and immediate consumption it is not OK for long term storage
or extended shipping trips, and this is where the problem starts. Tea
rapidly picks up moisture and this way of packing downright asks for
it. Most of the larger stores in DJ keep their teas stored that way,
shelves crammed with 100g packs of tea, and believe me, most of those
packs are sitting there for a loong time [upgrading and even
relabelling old packs is pretty common practice]. Now let´s remember
what makes Darjeeling such a nice place for growing tea. Among
altitude and other things it´s the climate. Lots of fog and rain
together with steep temperature gradients, and ambient humidity is
what all those teas in chests and paper bags really need to
"mature" [o-tone local vendor]. I´ve seen chests without lining of
some kind, some of them, especially those in the shops might get
opened a couple 100 times a day, each time introducing a new load of
moisture and oxygen. Some of those teas I purchased during my first
stay up there [long ago] didn´t make it beyond the one month mark -
nothing left in the cup.
Last time I came back with a nice collection of seconds and autumns
and the stuff I got from the shops simply didn´t make it, despite
having been repacked in special heavy duty bags, the moisture had
already found its way into those leaves. When I sampled them, they
were crisp, the teas wonderful, but there simply was no way for me to
tell how long it could be stored.
The stuff I got fresh from friends in the business [freshly fired] and
immediately repacked myself is still great. I have some special 2005
seconds and autumns as well as some 2006 first flushes left, some of
them still produce wonderful cups.

PS: I mentioned this before but back in Darjeeling I had quite a few
arguments with local tea merchants about this old fashioned way they
pack and store their teas [probably not much different from colonial
times ?!] and after a few seconds it always came down like this: "What
do you want ??? We are the "experts" and we know how to do it." One of
them even argued that Darjeelings need to "breathe". No comment. Most
of those guys don´t even drink what they´re selling, they prefer their
chai. When it comes to packing teas you´d be better advised to look a
couple miles further eastward [China, Japan, Taiwan].
Thanks to some excellent discussions on rfdt I watch moisture even
more closely these days, especially when it comes to my beloved DJs.
PPS: Since my shipment of some very special 2007 First Flushes got
lost somewhere [sniff] and I´m not willing to pay those insane prices
over here I recently purchased some tins of good old "Twinings
Darjeeling" to comfort myself over the loss. While this broken blend
simply can´t hold up to any of the high grade DJs, and ??? knows what
it´s composed of, I enjoy it a lot and would prefer it to more than
about two thirds of all those teas that are sold as "Darjeeling".

Bottom line:
I´d ask Benoy if those teas on sale are still drinkable, thought about
trying some myself.

Karsten

On Jul 8, 12:13 pm, Shen wrote:
Hello, all,
Please don't consider this SPAM or even a recommendation (since I've
never actually had any of these teas).
I know some posters really do enjoy Darjeeling. The following was sent
to me through a reader list and I thought some of you may want to take
advantage of this particular sale.
I've heard some good things about this vendor (and no, I have no
vested interest).
Anyway, the sale items are being shipped FREE worldwide and this
includes the USA (which, apparently, this vendor does not always
include in the free shipping list).
So, if you want to take advantage of this, it's up to you.
If you do, please share your reviews.

http://www.thunderbolttea.com/pages/...k_offer_discou...

Shen

Some people emailed me stating that they were unable to travel from
the link I posted this sale.
I have copied the following straight from my Google Reader
subscription so that you can get to it more easily, if you are
interested.
Please be aware that I am in no way promoting this vendor, I am just
sharing information that may be of service to some posters on this
list.
Shen

Jul 6, 2007 (5 days ago)BLOWOUT OFFER - HEAVY DISCOUNT!
from Darjeeling tea shop for single estate Darjeeling tea variety by
(Utsah Pradhan)
We are giving you crazy blowout offer on Second Flush 2006 and Autumn
Flush 2006 Darjeeling Teas. 25%-30% OFF with Free Shipping anywhere in
the world. Its Stock Clearance Offer! Remember we don't sell bad teas,
if its bad tea, we rather dump it in the ocean. Know More...

RSS from Thunderbolt Tea
Add starShareEmail(Updated)Mark as readEdit tags: tea

On Jul 11, 6:50 pm, wrote:
On Jul 10, 10:17 pm, mgford25 wrote:

I've never had a problem with stale black tea, but I'm curious, how
long can a typical black tea last?

I have posted some observations related to storing Darjeelings a while
ago but have done some experiments in the meantime. To keep it short:a
lot of teas that are sold in Darjeeling town are packed "traditional
style" - in a paper bag that is loosely wrapped in some aluminized
paper, the whole affair held together with a string. While this might
take care of nostalgic feelings and be just OK for some quick airmail
shipping and immediate consumption it is not OK for long term storage
or extended shipping trips, and this is where the problem starts. Tea
rapidly picks up moisture and this way of packing downright asks for
it. Most of the larger stores in DJ keep their teas stored that way,
shelves crammed with 100g packs of tea, and believe me, most of those
packs are sitting there for a loong time [upgrading and even
relabelling old packs is pretty common practice]. Now let´s remember
what makes Darjeeling such a nice place for growing tea. Among
altitude and other things it´s the climate. Lots of fog and rain
together with steep temperature gradients, and ambient humidity is
what all those teas in chests and paper bags really need to
"mature" [o-tone local vendor]. I´ve seen chests without lining of
some kind, some of them, especially those in the shops might get
opened a couple 100 times a day, each time introducing a new load of
moisture and oxygen. Some of those teas I purchased during my first
stay up there [long ago] didn´t make it beyond the one month mark -
nothing left in the cup.
Last time I came back with a nice collection of seconds and autumns
and the stuff I got from the shops simply didn´t make it, despite
having been repacked in special heavy duty bags, the moisture had
already found its way into those leaves. When I sampled them, they
were crisp, the teas wonderful, but there simply was no way for me to
tell how long it could be stored.
The stuff I got fresh from friends in the business [freshly fired] and
immediately repacked myself is still great. I have some special 2005
seconds and autumns as well as some 2006 first flushes left, some of
them still produce wonderful cups.

PS: I mentioned this before but back in Darjeeling I had quite a few
arguments with local tea merchants about this old fashioned way they
pack and store their teas [probably not much different from colonial
times ?!] and after a few seconds it always came down like this: "What
do you want ??? We are the "experts" and we know how to do it." One of
them even argued that Darjeelings need to "breathe". No comment. Most
of those guys don´t even drink what they´re selling, they prefer their
chai. When it comes to packing teas you´d be better advised to look a
couple miles further eastward [China, Japan, Taiwan].
Thanks to some excellent discussions on rfdt I watch moisture even
more closely these days, especially when it comes to my beloved DJs.
PPS: Since my shipment of some very special 2007 First Flushes got
lost somewhere [sniff] and I´m not willing to pay those insane prices
over here I recently purchased some tins of good old "Twinings
Darjeeling" to comfort myself over the loss. While this broken blend
simply can´t hold up to any of the high grade DJs, and ??? knows what
it´s composed of, I enjoy it a lot and would prefer it to more than
about two thirds of all those teas that are sold as "Darjeeling".

Bottom line:
I´d ask Benoy if those teas on sale are still drinkable, thought about
trying some myself.

Karsten

i agree with karsten - the reason why the auction centre and the sale
was never allowed in darjeeling to happen in the earlier days was
because of the high amount of rain - dense fog which alllowed the tea
to easily attract moisture. moisture is the biggest enemy of tea and
we should be very careful in buying teas because these are expensive
teas and we should have the value for money.

ankit

On Jul 11, 10:29 pm, Shen wrote:
On Jul 8, 12:13 pm, Shen wrote:





Hello, all,
Please don't consider this SPAM or even a recommendation (since I've
never actually had any of these teas).
I know some posters really do enjoy Darjeeling. The following was sent
to me through a reader list and I thought some of you may want to take
advantage of this particular sale.
I've heard some good things about this vendor (and no, I have no
vested interest).
Anyway, the sale items are being shipped FREE worldwide and this
includes the USA (which, apparently, this vendor does not always
include in the free shipping list).
So, if you want to take advantage of this, it's up to you.
If you do, please share your reviews.

http://www.thunderbolttea.com/pages/...k_offer_discou...

Shen

Some people emailed me stating that they were unable to travel from
the link I posted this sale.
I have copied the following straight from my Google Reader
subscription so that you can get to it more easily, if you are
interested.
Please be aware that I am in no way promoting this vendor, I am just
sharing information that may be of service to some posters on this
list.
Shen

Jul 6, 2007 (5 days ago)BLOWOUT OFFER - HEAVY DISCOUNT!
from Darjeeling tea shop for single estate Darjeeling tea variety by
(Utsah Pradhan)
We are giving you crazy blowout offer on Second Flush 2006 and Autumn
Flush 2006 Darjeeling Teas. 25%-30% OFF with Free Shipping anywhere in
the world. Its Stock Clearance Offer! Remember we don't sell bad teas,
if its bad tea, we rather dump it in the ocean. Know More...

RSS from Thunderbolt Tea
Add starShareEmail(Updated)Mark as readEdit tags: tea- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

thank you shen - i could see what teas were on sale now . i had spoken
to some more people on the subject and i was told that the thunderbolt
site has been blocked in India - i dont know why - but i think it is
true.

anyways thanks for the other link - i am grateful.

ankit

The accepted practice is use TinyUrl to keep it from breaking in some
newsreaders.

Jim

Shen wrote:
....
Some people emailed me stating that they were unable to travel from
the link I posted this sale.

wrote:
... Now let´s remember
what makes Darjeeling such a nice place for growing tea. Among
altitude and other things it´s the climate. Lots of fog and rain
together with steep temperature gradients, and ambient humidity is
what all those teas in chests and paper bags really need to
"mature" ...

Might be a cross-culturing opportunity he aging young sheng cakes at
the edge of the Himalayas. "Six famous tea-curing mountains"?

-DM

On Jul 12, 5:59 am, Space Cowboy wrote:
The accepted practice is use TinyUrl to keep it from breaking in some
newsreaders.

Jim

Shen wrote:

...



Some people emailed me stating that they were unable to travel from
the link I posted this sale.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I may be one of the very few people on this list who is NOT an I.T.
person. I have not a single idea what "TinyUrl" is.............?
If it would help move things along if I used it, kindly fill me in.
Shen

On Jul 12, 6:06 pm, DogMa wrote:
Might be a cross-culturing opportunity he aging young sheng cakes at
the edge of the Himalayas. "Six famous tea-curing mountains"?
-DM

Last year I collected some sheng mushrooms from tibetan stores, a few
of them showed spots of white mold while most of the older buildings
are partly covered with back mildew. It takes about 3 days up there
and my pipe stems start to loosen until after about one week they fall
of by themselves. I´ve never seen that to that extent anywhere else in
the world and after 150 years they still use those silly paper bags,
while dirt cheap, easily sealable aluminized PE or Mylar bags are
available all over the place.
I better stop it here and have another pot of that Twinings broken DJ,
nice batch indeed.
Anybody else ?

Karsten