Temi SFTGFOP Second Flush

This is so good it’s actually a little scary! eeeek!

So I guess this tea isn’t exactly a darjeeling because it came from Sikkim according to the website Sikkim is in India’s northeast corner between Nepal and Bhutan. My second Nepalese tea of the day and I think I’m in love… la la la

I steeped this for around 3 minutes @ 200F. This is my after lunch afternoon tea and it is quite a stunner. This black tea is intensely rich with plum and cherry flavors, caramel sweetness and cocoa. The only reason I’m not rating it higher is because it has some astringency in the finish which might make it a bit difficult on my sensitive tummy. But the flavors are wonderful in every way. I highly recommend you give this one a go. I may need to up my rating soon. It’s delicious! I think I’ve found a good seller here with these Rare Tea Republic people! :)

I received this as a free sample with my last RtR order. I was excited to get a tea from Sikkim as I am new to teas from that area. However, I was a little concerned when I realized how close it was to Darjeeling considering I haven’t enjoyed Darjeelings as much as I thought I would.

The dry leaves smell fragrant and fruity. I wonder if they are picking up a little of the aroma of the orange trees grown on the estate? They are short-medium in length and tightly rolled. About half are chocolate brown and the other half a medium brown like chestnut.

The brewed leaves have a bit of that muscatel type odor that is associated with 2nd flush Darjeelings. There is no baked bread aroma like RtR promises. (I may not be the greatest at determining all the complex flavors in a tea, but I know what fresh baked bread smells like, and this does not smell like fresh bread). The liquor is reddish copper.

1st steep-The flavor is very fruity and sweet and I don’t really notice the muscatel in the flavor-which is very good, in my opinion. I enjoyed this cup.

2nd steep-I don’t taste much fruit anymore-just some of the muscatel flavor that I don’t care for. It’s not as strong as in a 2nd flush darjeeling, but it’s there and it’s the only discernible flavor here. Not my thing.

3rd steep-liquor is a pale amber now. Muscatel flavor is mostly gone, but I am not tasting a lot of anything else.

Verdict-If you like 2nd flush Darjeeling, you might enjoy this. I probably wouldn’t buy this, as for me, it’s only tasty for one steep. My rating number is based on just that 1st steep.

So far, my experience with RTR’s teas has been great. They’ve almost all been delicious, above average (as far as I know, which isn’t a lot), and their descriptions are really accurate. They don’t go over the top in telling you the 50 different flavors you’ll find in a tea, and yet, none of their teas are one-dimensional, either.

I had to order a sample of the 2nd flush of the Temi, since I ordered the 1st flush, so that I could compare the two.

I’m not sure I can pull out the baked sweet-bread aroma, but as soon as I decanted, the teapot smelled richly of caramel, and even a bit of chocolate!
The taste of dried plum is also present (zwetschge schokolade gefaellt mir sehr), and ‘layered’ is a great way to explain it, as the notes of caramel and plum appear and disappear throughout the sip. I wouldn’t call it sweet, but somehow, it is clearly caramel.
The 2nd steeping seems to be bringing out the chocolate aroma, as well.

Between this tea, Thurbo 1st flush, and Tumsong 2nd flush, I have three great Darjeelings I’d enjoying having around. To my surprise, two of my favorites are from the ‘lowest’ quality harvests! It’s fun to discover something new.

The samples that I ordered from Rare Tea Republic just came in today, and I’ve been dying to try this tea ever since I read Amy Oh’s tasting note.

Anyway, the first infusion was wonderful! The aroma was fruity, yet still very unique. The flavor was also astounding for a black tea because it’s unusually sweet. The fruity flavors remind me of plums, and it’s a lot stronger than usual, especially for a black tea. As the tea cools a touch of astringency develops, but it doesn’t really detract from the overall experience.

The second infusion was actually less sweet than the first, but it also had no astringency as it cooled. Also, the plum flavors were more subdued, and the caramel flavors that the label mentioned started to become apparent. A very nice second infusions.

The third infusion was uninspiring. The plum flavors are completely gone, the caramel flavors are weak, and other flavors are weak and indistinct. It’s not like it’s bad, but this tea is clearly well past its peak.

The bottom line of this tea is that the first infusion is the best, with bold fruity flavors and just the right amount of sweetness. This is definitely something special, with a very unique palate, and I’m going to savor my sample while it lasts.