A coworker, Gautam, was going back to India for a few weeks and asked me if
I wanted anything so of course I asked for tea. I asked for a fully withered
dark Darjeeling, the way Darjeeling teas were when I was a kid, and he went
into a couple tea shops and brought me back some very interesting stuff. I
have spent the past month or so drinking these along with a couple other
Darjeelings that I am more familiar with and here's what I have been sipping:

1. Fabindia "organic Darjeeling black tea," in bags. This claims in very
small letters to come from the Ambootia tea estate, and it's really very
nice for a bagged tea. The first cup I made was quite astringent but
later cups made with the same time have been fine. It has got a little
bit of woody burlap aftertone but none of the green flavour at all. It
clearly would benefit from having a little more tea in the bag, though,
or the bag made into a 6 oz. cup.

2. Fabindia "pure organic Darjeeling black tea" in a wooden box, labelled
below "OF O Tea Black Darjeeling Sycotta 100g." Same retailer as the
bags above, but this comes from the Chamong tea estate. Less astringent,
still not thick or deep but a very pleasant cup of tea, and it will
remain respectable on the second and maybe even third steep.

3. Basilur "Darjeeling tea" in a tin marked "Specialty Classics" and imported
into India by SVA India Ltd. Basilur is a Ceylon tea vendor, who apparently
blends Darjeeling tea and re-imports back into India.

This tea is very different than all of the others tried, it's got a much
larger leaf and is much more flowery-tasting. It has much more of a nose
to it, and given the amount of counterfeit Darjeeling tea out there and
the fact this was blended outside of India, I am apt to suspect that this
may not really be Darjeeling at all.


REFERENCE TEAS:

4. Upton DJ-141 "Makaibari estate 2nd flush Darjeeling" which is what Upton's
sent me when I asked for a fully withered Darjeeling. Clearly a higher end
version of the same sort of style. Much more malty and thick, but it also
has more of the green "grassy" flavour which I don't like so much.

5. Rohini Enigma which I got mail order from Lochan Tea in Darjeeling. This
seems to be a classic second-flush fully withered tea, and it seems very
close to the Chamong tea up above, maybe a little darker.


SUMMARY:

All of these were good in some way and I have to say I think I liked the
Basilur the best of the set even though I suspect it's not really a Darjeeling
at all.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Wednesday, November 13, 2013 9:07:39 AM UTC-6, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> A coworker, Gautam, was going back to India for a few weeks and asked me if
>
> I wanted anything so of course I asked for tea. I asked for a fully withered
>
> dark Darjeeling, the way Darjeeling teas were when I was a kid, and he went
>
> into a couple tea shops and brought me back some very interesting stuff. I
>
> have spent the past month or so drinking these along with a couple other
>
> Darjeelings that I am more familiar with and here's what I have been sipping:
>
>
>
> 1. Fabindia "organic Darjeeling black tea," in bags. This claims in very
>
> small letters to come from the Ambootia tea estate, and it's really very
>
> nice for a bagged tea. The first cup I made was quite astringent but
>
> later cups made with the same time have been fine. It has got a little
>
> bit of woody burlap aftertone but none of the green flavour at all. It
>
> clearly would benefit from having a little more tea in the bag, though,
>
> or the bag made into a 6 oz. cup.
>
>
>
> 2. Fabindia "pure organic Darjeeling black tea" in a wooden box, labelled
>
> below "OF O Tea Black Darjeeling Sycotta 100g." Same retailer as the
>
> bags above, but this comes from the Chamong tea estate. Less astringent,
>
> still not thick or deep but a very pleasant cup of tea, and it will
>
> remain respectable on the second and maybe even third steep.
>
>
>
> 3. Basilur "Darjeeling tea" in a tin marked "Specialty Classics" and imported
>
> into India by SVA India Ltd. Basilur is a Ceylon tea vendor, who apparently
>
> blends Darjeeling tea and re-imports back into India.
>
>
>
> This tea is very different than all of the others tried, it's got a much
>
> larger leaf and is much more flowery-tasting. It has much more of a nose
>
> to it, and given the amount of counterfeit Darjeeling tea out there and
>
> the fact this was blended outside of India, I am apt to suspect that this
>
> may not really be Darjeeling at all.
>
>
>
>
>
> REFERENCE TEAS:
>
>
>
> 4. Upton DJ-141 "Makaibari estate 2nd flush Darjeeling" which is what Upton's
>
> sent me when I asked for a fully withered Darjeeling. Clearly a higher end
>
> version of the same sort of style. Much more malty and thick, but it also
>
> has more of the green "grassy" flavour which I don't like so much.
>
>
>
> 5. Rohini Enigma which I got mail order from Lochan Tea in Darjeeling. This
>
> seems to be a classic second-flush fully withered tea, and it seems very
>
> close to the Chamong tea up above, maybe a little darker.
>
>
>
>
>
> SUMMARY:
>
>
>
> All of these were good in some way and I have to say I think I liked the
>
> Basilur the best of the set even though I suspect it's not really a Darjeeling
>
> at all.
>
> --scott
>
> --
>
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
I sort of gave up on Darjeelings after only trying a few- too weak, too flowery for me. And the Assams and Africans seem too strong. What I like are the Ceylons... Toci

Rohini Enigma is good one. I tried that some time back. Gopaldhara Silver Needle is also worth trying

On Monday, 18 November 2013 03:04:51 UTC+5:30, toci wrote:
> On Wednesday, November 13, 2013 9:07:39 AM UTC-6, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>
> > A coworker, Gautam, was going back to India for a few weeks and asked me if
>
> >
>
> > I wanted anything so of course I asked for tea. I asked for a fully withered
>
> >
>
> > dark Darjeeling, the way Darjeeling teas were when I was a kid, and he went
>
> >
>
> > into a couple tea shops and brought me back some very interesting stuff. I
>
> >
>
> > have spent the past month or so drinking these along with a couple other
>
> >
>
> > Darjeelings that I am more familiar with and here's what I have been sipping:
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > 1. Fabindia "organic Darjeeling black tea," in bags. This claims in very
>
> >
>
> > small letters to come from the Ambootia tea estate, and it's really very
>
> >
>
> > nice for a bagged tea. The first cup I made was quite astringent but
>
> >
>
> > later cups made with the same time have been fine. It has got a little
>
> >
>
> > bit of woody burlap aftertone but none of the green flavour at all. It
>
> >
>
> > clearly would benefit from having a little more tea in the bag, though,
>
> >
>
> > or the bag made into a 6 oz. cup.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > 2. Fabindia "pure organic Darjeeling black tea" in a wooden box, labelled
>
> >
>
> > below "OF O Tea Black Darjeeling Sycotta 100g." Same retailer as the
>
> >
>
> > bags above, but this comes from the Chamong tea estate. Less astringent,
>
> >
>
> > still not thick or deep but a very pleasant cup of tea, and it will
>
> >
>
> > remain respectable on the second and maybe even third steep.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > 3. Basilur "Darjeeling tea" in a tin marked "Specialty Classics" and imported
>
> >
>
> > into India by SVA India Ltd. Basilur is a Ceylon tea vendor, who apparently
>
> >
>
> > blends Darjeeling tea and re-imports back into India.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > This tea is very different than all of the others tried, it's got a much
>
> >
>
> > larger leaf and is much more flowery-tasting. It has much more of a nose
>
> >
>
> > to it, and given the amount of counterfeit Darjeeling tea out there and
>
> >
>
> > the fact this was blended outside of India, I am apt to suspect that this
>
> >
>
> > may not really be Darjeeling at all.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > REFERENCE TEAS:
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > 4. Upton DJ-141 "Makaibari estate 2nd flush Darjeeling" which is what Upton's
>
> >
>
> > sent me when I asked for a fully withered Darjeeling. Clearly a higher end
>
> >
>
> > version of the same sort of style. Much more malty and thick, but it also
>
> >
>
> > has more of the green "grassy" flavour which I don't like so much.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > 5. Rohini Enigma which I got mail order from Lochan Tea in Darjeeling. This
>
> >
>
> > seems to be a classic second-flush fully withered tea, and it seems very
>
> >
>
> > close to the Chamong tea up above, maybe a little darker.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > SUMMARY:
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > All of these were good in some way and I have to say I think I liked the
>
> >
>
> > Basilur the best of the set even though I suspect it's not really a Darjeeling
>
> >
>
> > at all.
>
> >
>
> > --scott
>
> >
>
> > --
>
> >
>
> > "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
>
> I sort of gave up on Darjeelings after only trying a few- too weak, too flowery for me. And the Assams and Africans seem too strong. What I like are the Ceylons... Toci

Should try the second flush or the Autumn flush then. They are much stronger than first flush and less stronger in taste to Assam

toci > wrote:
>I sort of gave up on Darjeelings after only trying a few- too weak, too flowery for me. And the Assams and Africans seem too strong. What I like are the Ceylons... Toci

The fully-withered ones are definitely less weak, but they are still very
flowery, which I like.

Which Ceylons do you like? It seems to me there's a huge difference between
the high and low altitude Ceylons.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In article >,
> wrote:
>Rohini Enigma is good one. I tried that some time back. Gopaldhara Silver Needle is also worth trying

Tell me more about the Gopaldhara! I have never heard of it!
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."