Norfür said

Ordered two new Darjes

Gonna be getting them in a couple weeks from Darjeeling Tea Boutique. Can’t say I’m not excited.

Second Flush Makaibari 2014 – I’ve been thinking about what some people said before about picking between first and second. Since First Flush is notorious for killing you if you’re not careful, I decided to get the more casual(?) second flush. Finally gonna get my first taste of that legendary muscatel!

Though is it true that the muscatel is only in Second Flushes? Does that mean Autumn Flush doesn’t have it? In that case then, I really will be getting my first taste. :)

This particular one comes from the Makaibari estate of Lord of Darjeeling fame. DTB said they had only three packs left, and the price was stupid low because they acquired it at a discount, so I figured I’d take one of those last three packs.

The second one is an Autumn Flush Green Tea 2014, which I got because my mom was getting tired… well not really tired… more like, wanting to explore options other than, that Chinese green tea powder that I got last year. It’s said to be from a.. Kanchan View estate. Can’t say I’ve heard of it before.

Any tips on what I should expect? Like, how is the Green Darj different from matcha? Can’t wait to get these.

I’ll keep you posted on when they get here. So excited. :D

6 Replies

The Second Flush tends to be darker in strength and flavour so it is renowned for having muscatel qualities. That being said it’s not impossible for some First Flush to also have them, it’s just a lot less likely. Personally that is why I prefer Second Flush, usually in my Darjeeling the Second Flush carries the most flavour and I enjoy dark teas. I liken First Flush to a mild green tea and Second Flush to a medium black tea. Of course this is not the same for all Darjeeling and it does come down to personal preference.

Green Darjeeling is more floral than Matcha, it’s also going to be lighter and fresher. Matcha is probably not a good comparison at all, think more mild Chinese green rather than Japanese.Along the lines of mild Jasmine tea. Make sure you steep them at the right temperatures and times and you should have no problem.

They both sound nice, I hope you enjoy them :)

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a green darjeeling is less ‘green’ than most Chinese greens, and has hint of bitterness/with spicy notes in the aftertase (which I love).

I currently have a batch of green sungma darjeeling at home,and love it.

autumn darjeelings are less delicate and spicy, but steep darker and have a rounded/bolder taste. Some autumnal darjeelings can be quite nice (Margaret’s Hope for example). The world of darjeelings is HUGE, IMMENSE and DIVERSE. Every plantation, every flush, and every season has its own quality/taste. You just have to try and see what your personal preferences are.

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Excelsior said

The change is the problem I have with Darjeelings. My favorite estates change with the change in their tastes of the teas according to the prevailing climate, temperatures, rainfall, of that year. So every year, I go through the process of ordering all of the new Spring Flush Darjeelings Mariage Freres has to offer and pick one or two favorites. In 2010, Spring Flush Margaret’s Hope and Castleton. In 2011, Spring Flush Moondakotee. In 2012, Spring Flush DJ1 Namring and Jungpana. In 2013, none, so I kept on purchasing their vintage Castleton of 2012. For 2014, Spring Flush Arya and Puttabong. I’ve tasted and have all sorts of Summer, Autumn, and even Monsoon Flush Darjeelings, yet for me, nothing can match the flavor, taste, and complexity of a properly brewed cup of Spring flush Darjeelings. Yet in all cases, it takes numerous brews of trial and error, changing all parameters to extract the full flavor, body, taste, and complexity from a Spring Flush Darjeeling.

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my favourite estate is Arya. I have a ruby and a ltd. Diamand. (2nd F). I keep these for a special treat/day. They are divine, expensive, but worth every penny. :)

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Norfür said

Thanks for all the tips, guys. As newbie who’s only ever had a single Autumn Flush from a single estate, I suddenly feel a lot smaller, haha. If the Darjeeling world, considered a small part of the tea world, is already this huge, that means I really have so much more to experience.

I didn’t realize the terroir changed so much, though I guess it makes sense, since the weather isn’t always quite the same, even in the same estate and flush, so even with the same estate, flavours would keep changing.

I’ve never actually had Chinese green tea before, so I can’t quite imagine it. Though I did have sencha at a Japanese restaurant. Well… I think it was in a teabag, so it probably doesn’t count, haha. I do believe I saw Margaret’s Hope among DTB’s selections. Forgot what flush it was, but I’ll save up for it some time later.

Always been rather interested in Castleton myself, probably because the name sounds so regal. But of course it would again, I guess, depend on one’s personal preferences.

Thanks, guys. Now I’m even more excited. Also, funny story: I was corresponding with the proprietor of the boutique, asked him what “muscatel” actually tastes like, if it’s similar to anything we might normally have, or if it’s its own distinctive taste. He ended up adding samples of two other second flushes to my package, saying they should help me become more familiar with what muscatel is.

This is really awesome. :)

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Norfür said

Darjes finally arrived. Seems like Niranjan gave me even more surprises. I ordered two gift packs. 100g of 2nd Flush Makaibari and 100g of Autumn Flush Green Kanchan View.

He said he gave me two sample packs of 2nd Flush. So that’s two gift packs and two sample packs, right? I was dumbstruck when I opened my parcel and found an extra gift pack (100g of Autumn Flush Jungpana) and an extra sample pack (1st Flush Margaret’s Hope)! Best part is, one of the 2nd Flush sample packs is Castleton! This is just too awesome for words!

I don’t know which one to start with! :D

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