Can anyone recommend a really good FF Darjeeling?
Ive tried a few, Montievot and im enjoying Singbulli Silk, but its coming to an end.
out of my teas my favourites are oriental beauty oolong and FF Darjeeling at the mo and i want to try a really good one, and also, what makes a really good one?
I like the bite, lightness & fruityness of FF vs SF, im not too into the deepness/creaminess(?) of the SF teas.
am also ridiculously spoilt because i just bought a gold award winning oriental beauty oolong and want to try some serious FF to see what thats like :)
this one is fantastic
http://happyearthtea.com/collections/darjeeling/products/arya-ruby-darjeeling-first-flush-2015
I always forget to say im UK based, and afaik you are mostly american? but good tea can always travel across the sea :)
Try What-Cha, their Gopaldhara estate is one of my favorites, as is their Rohini estate :)
i havent tried from the Arya estate – you know any others that are good?
you can get from cantons in the uk :) im about to buy 50gs of it
I’ve enjoyed the Arya Darjeelings, and have had good service from Canton Tea Co before.
ah good. im on a keto diet, so no sugar for a while. and SF darjeelings dont taste right to me unless sweetened a bit. too … creamy? not sure if thats the word
I’m not generally a fan of SF anyway. They are too coarse compared to FF. I don’t drink tea with milk or sugar at all these days. Sugar is too sweet and milk in tea makes me fill sick!
milk should not be allowed anywhere near tea full stop. but a bit of sugar can be nice. just a tiny bit, mind
I totally agree about the milk, even though I grew up drinking NATO standard tea (milk and two sugars). These days I think that if a tea requires sugar, then it cannot be that good. I’m more of a savoury sort of person now, and not too keen on anything sweet.
im talking mainly SF darjeeling i think. maybe im just not into them as much as shin zhen or oolong or FF
I’m doing keto right now too, and I’m having pretty good luck with xylitol and erythritol as sweeteners (not that I use anything in tea most of the time, but sometimes a chai or dessert tea just calls for it). I can tolerate splenda in other contexts but not in tea, and I just can’t handle stevia at all – even the “special non-bitter” brands taste bitter to me.
FF Darjeelings change year by year, retailer to retailer. If you can spare the expense,the 2014 Arya FF DJ5 and the 2014 Puttabong FF DJ61, both from Mariage Freres would be my picks. As for 2015 I’ve only had two, the FF Puttabong Supreme and the FF Ambootia. While they are both good, I would still pick the two 2014 teas I listed above. For one reason or another, Mariage Freres is still holding back the release of the 2015 FF Castleton, Margaret’s Hope, and Arya.
Within each flush there are different pickings. DJ1 would represent the very first of a particular estate. On their top tier estates, Mariage will clearly indicate the number of the picking with a DJ number. In general, the lower the number, the more “green” it is. In years past, the Namring DJ1 was far superior to the DJ2 even though they were picked during the same flush. An EX marker indicates it is an experimental crop and for the EX Namrng, the crop is grown with artificial irrigation, and it becomes available as early as late winter.
For your next question I tasted the Singbuli 2014 FF DJ38 and although it was a good tea the Puttabong and Arya was better. How this Singbuli compares with Singbuli Silk? I have no idea. I will say, I’ve purchased the same Darjeeling, the same estate, the same year, the same flush, the same grade(SFTGFOP1), and same name, and the tea from Mariage was by far a better tea. Mariage has a store in the UK and if you ever have the chance to talk to a store employee, they would be happy to explain this in great detail of why this is. The explanation I received was they have access to picks that are not offered to any other retailer. Mariage Freres has been in the tea business for over 160 years. The will pay a premium for a better tea and purchase that tea in large volume. The unfortunate thing is, that premium is passed on to the consumer. Sorry for the long winded answer. I don’t work for Mariage. I just love their teas, and respect the integrity their integrity.
Happy Steeping.
No, that’s great! I’m really getting into the fine nuances of tea taste and the more I know the better
I want to waffle about the tea for hours :)
Also, what makes a good FF? I know that i like the Singbulli more than the montievot, it has astringency but it isn’t unpleasant, with a bright and nice floral taste.
- do they get as complex and pleasant as a good Oolong? I guess control of the astringency and sweetness is the first port of call to make a good one?
I can understand they are finicky, its a bit of a weird flavour to start out with, much the same as I imagine how complicated being a Pu-ehr lover can be. That’s a weird flavour to start out with too imho..
I tasted Ambootia FF and Rohini this year. Both are excellent FF.
Goomtee is a standard good pick. I am currently drinking a Chamong FF.
i usually order with Teekampagne (bulk buys) and with Golden Tips. You could try Golden Tips first, they also offer samples. Their services is excellent and they ship worldwide.
Login or sign up to leave a comment.