Thurbo FTGFOP1 First Flush

hmm. So I guess I have some mixed feelings about this one. My first steep was at 4 minutes with boiling water and I should have known that was too hot because the package says 190 F. It got too bitter and astringent for me. I am used to treating darjeelings more or less like a black tea but I think I need to start treating them more like oolongs. My mistake for sure.

So in my second steep, it got steeped more like a green tea for 3 minutes with around 160 F. Now I’m getting some more pleasant apricot jam like notes in addition to floral & vanilla. But yeah the astringency is still lurking there. I might need to start all over again with this one or perhaps this is a gateway into a learning experience that I might want to avoid first flush darjeelings in the future? I suspect it needs a more delicate tasting perhaps in the gaiwan. Stay tuned…

Now this is a true Darjeeling. The texture is awesome – incredibly smooth and even somewhat thick. It is so noticeably and enjoyably smooth it’s hard to drink slowly.

The aroma of grape (muscat) is definitely comes through, and I really like it. That is seems to be what Darjeeling is famous for, and for good reason. The flavor is very sweet in the middle of the sip too, a sweetness like honey.

This tea wasn’t an eye opener like the Tumsong 2nd flush, and may actually be slightly less complex . . . but all the same, I was just too busy enjoying it to think through it more than that! This is one of those teas you could drink all the time and never get tired of it.