Donna A

Tumsong Estate FTGFOP1 First Flush (DJ-14) Organic TD74 from Upton Tea Imports

Donna A drank Tumsong Estate FTGFOP1 First Flush (DJ-14) Organic TD74 by Upton Tea Imports

I purchased this as part of Upton Tea’s Premium Darjeeling Sampler. Since my experience with Darjeelings has been limited, this has been a great opportunity to check out generous sized samples in tins. Today, after the excitement of sending my 20 yr old daughter on a full semester Georgia Tech Pacific Study abroad trip (Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji), I came home with a few hours until work and decided I would compare this TD74 1st flush against the TD54, another 1st flush from Thurbo Estate. As a sidebar, I read that Tumsong is known as the “garden of happy hearts”. With the Tumsong Darjeeling,the brew is gold and there are notes of tropical fruit, almonds, and a citrus pungency that I find quite enjoyable, despite an ever so slight bitterness.I am sensitive to bitterness,and though I made this according to instructions (boiling, 2 1/4 gm, 3 min. steep), there seems to be a hint of bitterness that I didn’t detect with the Thurbo. Perhaps this would be remedied by using a little less leaf or time on the steep. So,to sum it up, my 1st impression is that I favor the Thurbo, but I will hold back on rating it, and try adjusting the leaf and/or steeping time the next go round.

2013-01-03 11:37:54 -0500

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Amy oh 2013-01-03 14:58:05 -0500

Hi Donna
I enjoy darjeelings a lot more when they are steeped with water around 180 – 190 F, that takes the bitterness away.

Donna A 2013-01-05 00:16:57 -0500

Thanks or the tip Amy. Will try that!

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Tea has become a recent passion of mine. I fell into it almost by accident, but now I would say it has captured me. Tea is more than something tasty to sip on, it is an experience-it helps create a mood and is quite interesting to read about and study. I discovered loose tea at the tea store at my mall. I was looking for alternatives to Coke Zero and white wine. Say what you will about that mall chain, but I’m sure it has raised awareness about tea where I live, in the land of bagged mass produced black tea prepared with lots of sugar, Atlanta, Georgia. That’s what happened with me, and then I started perusing the internet and found Steepster.

When I take on an interest or a hobby, I go into it full force and become a little obsessive about it in the beginning. I have always been adventurous when it comes to trying new foods, and once I discovered there was so much more out there than the Lipton tea I saw my mom drinking when I was growing up, I started trying many different varieties of loose tea. I have discovered I like all kinds of tea. Some of the teas I seem to be craving the most are good black teas, but it depends on my mood. I love something like Golden Fleece, a Dian Hong from Verdant. I also appreciate quality greens and oolongs and have enjoyed some pu-erh as well. Whites are often a little too mild for my taste, unless flavored. I still drink flavored teas quite often, but lately, I have veered a lot toward straight teas. I like flavored matcha lattes too. I don’t consider myself qualified to judge quality. When I rate a tea, it’s just my personal taste, so I don’t tend to post on things I don’t care for. Also, I tend to sweeten my tea with natural stevia (a no no for some!) I am a married Registered Nurse, with two kids in college and one in medical school. Two of them enjoy checking out my teas when they are home, sometimes with their friends. My husband is not hooked like I am, but he often enjoys a cup with me. I enjoy many other interests, including reading, gardening, the arts, and the outdoors. Anytime I can include tea in these pursuits, I do! It has become a bit of an obsession for me.