I think this is my first darjeeling. It’s definitely my first FTGFOP 1, so I was very excited to try this tea! To be honest, I already made one cup of this and it was much too bitter for my tastes. I adjusted the steep time and water temp to my tastes (195F @ 3min seems to keep most black teas from getting bitter in my experience). I’m not sure how well this tea does in multiple steeps but I’m hoping the second cup lives up to the reviews!
I really liked the smell of my second brew – a delicate orange touch. But as I drink it, it still has this odd burnt/bitter taste to me, but that may be because my first infusion was with water at 205F. This tea isn’t as smooth as I would like and I find myself thinking I would rather have a cup of golden monkey. I am going to hold off on rating until I brew a first cup but at this point I’m kind of disappointed. However, I’m ready to admit my role in brewing this tea and to keep adjusting until I find something that works better. I have to believe this tea is as good as other say it is!
