On Mar 21, 11:00 am, toci > wrote:
> On Mar 20, 9:27 pm, Omkar > wrote:
>
>
>
> > Hi all,
>
> > Before I start, I'd like to say that I'm new to this community, so I
> > apologize if I breach any rules of etiquette here. I've been searching
> > for this information using Google Groups and it looks like people can
> > get touchy when discussion turns commercial. I'm only looking for
> > information. Also, this post may be a little long winded, but I'm not
> > sure what information is or isn't important, so I'm erring on the side
> > of inclusion. Thanks for your patience with a tea novice.
>
> > I started drinking good tea a couple of years ago, and late last June,
> > started ordering from Upton. In particular, I ordered a Risheehat
> > First Flush that I liked very much. The aroma was very strong at this
> > point, and probably for the next month or two. I stored the tea in
> > Upton's tin, put in a cool dark place. By October, however, the aroma
> > of the tea became less pronounced, and the flavor less complex.
>
> > Now, in early February, I ordered a bunch of first and second flush
> > samples from Upton. I'm pretty happy with some of the second flushes,
> > but the first flushes seem to have lost potency just as my Risheehat
> > did. I thought this might be the quality of the tea; luckily, I'd
> > ordered the Risheehat again as a check. Sure enough, it tasted and
> > smelled like it did after a few months with me last time. I'm not sure
> > what to make of this, since the tea itself is around a year old at
> > this point.
>
> > So here are my questions:
>
> > 1. Is this shelf life the best I can expect, or is there something I
> > can do to improve my storage? A few months seems a bit short to me.
> > 2. Is this level of freshness what I can expect from all vendors, or
> > does Upton have a freshness issue?
>
> > I really loved the tea when it was fresh (or at least fresher), so I
> > was thinking of buying all my Darjeeling tea this year direct from
> > India.
>
> > 3. Would this get me fresher and/or better tea than careful selection
> > from Upton or another (please recommend) US vendor?
> > 4. If so, can anyone recommend and talk about their experience with a
> > particular site or distributor? I've seen Thunderbolt Tea, Tea
> > Emporium, and Lochan's sites. All of them look nice enough, but I'd
> > like to get some consumer opinions. I do know that their proprietors
> > (as well as Upton's) occasionally show up here; their input is very
> > welcome even if I'll take it with a grain of salt.
>
> > I'd also be interested in similar information for Assams or Nilgiris
> > if anyone has it. I have family in Bangalore so if anyone knows a good
> > Nilgiri, even if it's only sold locally, I'd appreciate the tip.
>
> > Thanks so much for your help!
>
> > Omkar
>
> About six months ago, I gave my personal 5 stars to two Nilgiris from
> Upton-TN68 and TN96. The Assams and Ceylons I liked are now sold
> out. I keep my teas in their original envelope, then sealed with a
> clip, then put in a small metal cannister. That seems to work for
> me. Toci

Thanks for the tips. I think I'm going to change how I store my tea,
but also buy this years Darjeelings direct from India. Does anyone
have experience with Tea Emporium, Thunderbolt, or Lochan?

BTW - I also really liked TN68. It really is a great tea, isn't it? I
liked the TA90 Assam (Nahorhabi) quite a lot; I found it pretty
similar to how Upton described it (not my experience for all teas in
the samples that I'm working through).