TD68: Sungma Estate SFTGFOP1 Ch/Fl First Flush (DJ-2) Organic

Now that I have all these FF darjeelings I was starting to wonder if and when they would all taste the same to me, but it’s quite surprising at how different they are.

I steeped this around 190F for 3 minutes because I find I like them much more this way, less astringency and less chance of bitterness to come to the forefront. I’ve been steeping mine at the 190 -200 F range. My tea liquor is a light orange here.

I have to agree with Triumph about the fruity and effervescent nature of this tea. I am getting intense peach notes mixed with honey. It also has a delicious floral quality about it. In nature it is a bit like some of the Nepalese teas I’ve had. But it’s so good! It has an almost buttery like quality in the richness of the tea liquor and no astringency that I can detect. A nice and gentle way to wake up on this Sunday morning…

This indeed reminds me of a summer day, sitting outside in the sun with a bowl of fresh peaches and watching the birds fly by.

And the reviews of the first flush darjeelings begin! Luckily it’s still freezing and gloomy here in Maine, so a hot cup of flowery goodness really hits the spot.

Based on Sungma’s reputation I went ahead and rolled the dice and bought a full bag of this. There’s very little to compare in the tea world to that first inhalation after opening a sealed bag of first flush tea. There’s something so fecund and manna-like about the smell—kind of like honeysuckle on a hot summer day.

This Sungma was shaping up to be a classic first flush until I tasted it and was surprised to find how fruity and effervescent it is. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does lack the deeper honey notes that I usually expect to find in a first flush. Maybe it was more lightly fermented, which results in something closer to an Oolong or a Nepalese tea. Anyway, these are mere quibbles, and will not prevent me from enjoying this top tier tea.