One of the great things about Steepster is that it helps me keep track of my tea and encourages me to drink up those teas that I have been hoarding for years. It’s not good for the tea (with a few exceptions), and it’s not good for life. The sooner I finish this tea, the sooner I can order new stuff, right? :-D
So this was one of the first single-estate Darjeeling teas I ever tried and it was one of those teas that changed the future of tea for me. Before trying this (and comparing it with the Darjeeling 2007 FF from the Tumsong estate), I thought the only thing that changed how teas taste was what kinds of things you added to the leaves. While I am not a Darjeeling connoisseur by any means, this tea opened up a door for me into a whole new world of teas.
Okay, with all that said, this tea is but a shadow of what it used to be. The brew comes out with a tinge of astringency and and inconsistent flavor that doesn’t stick around long. I remember this tea having a fuller, rounder flavor that you just want to savor (and it actually lingers on the taste-buds for a while so you can!) and no astringency.
I guess this is a cautionary tale with a lesson to be learned: Promise me, my fellow Steeps, don’t hoard tea… Drink it and enjoy it while it’s good!
The rating I’ve provided is from when the tea was fresh (stellar!).
