Jungpana (Autumn) Darjeeling Black Tea

I don’t have any experience, at least as far as I know (some tea shops just offer one “Darjeeling” or Nepali tea and don’t give any information about whether it’s a blend or what flush or any of that), with the less well known/celebrated autumn or third flush darjeelings, so this is exciting. And I’m quite surprised to find this is in fact markedly different, like different enough that if given a cup of this without knowing what it was I’d never initially guess darjeeling—it is very malty and rather bread-y, more like the chewy rich Chinese black teas I’ve had from spots like Teavivre and Verdant albeit with that woody darjeeling edge in the lingering aftertaste. It’s a bit like Assam too actually, given how it retains some astringency at the tail end of the sip. It would be good in a breakfast blend (and now I’m wondering if some of the delicious unusual breakfast blends I’ve had with darjeeling listed in them use autumn flush ones), smells a lot like some of my favorites (The Black Lotus comes to mind!).

I love how much flush matters, tasting that firsthand—I’ve had 2013 spring, summer, and autumn flush Jungpanas now with other conditions fairly well controlled for (all the same FTGFOP grade, from the same website, sealed the same, obtained at the same time) in the course of two days and it’s been marvelous seeing, smelling, and tasting how the tea changes over the seasons from lightly floral and green tea-like to sparkly muscatel brown to this bready satisfying chewy black.

Today i decided to do a comparisonbrewing between red clay and glas on this rather bold autumnflush.
Its my first chinavarietal and it dows indeed remind me of the most basic of english black teas. As the other tastingnotes says its a tea that i could full well expect in a breakfast blend of very high quality.

ok, for the comparison.
On one side i used the sado red clay mumyoi pot and the other was a standard glaspot.
For water i used tap water heated in a Kunzan tetsubin.

I used the same leaf/water ratio, both 5 minutes with a temperature of slightly over 90C

first differance i notice is the body, the glaspot taste is thinner and noticable more watery. Whereas the clay is “thicker” and less watery. The aftertaste seems to linger more in the glaspot while the claypot seems to give more sweetness.
It is hard to decide which is better, however i personaly prefer a strong body with black tea.
The tea itself taste very different when brewed at 90 instead of boiling. The heavy astringancy is gone. Hm i think i will upp the temperature in the future.
China varietals may be simpler and cheaper but are well worth exploring, there will definetly be a china first flush in my collection come spring.

Next comparison will be for assam tea.