REVIEW: Thunderbolt Tea, 2009 Arya SFTGFOP1

When I drink a Darjeeling that is produced like Thunderbolt Tea's 2009 Arya Estate SFTGFOP1, I'm very aware that this tea has been anxiously awaited all year by people all over the globe, because the Spring flush in Darjeeling, India is unique. These teas comprise perhaps 2% of the entire India tea crop, and are typically handcrafted, specially produced teas.

These are not intended to taste the same from year to year, season to season, as "commodity" teas are. Yes, it is quite a skill to blend, say, a Tetley tea to taste exactly the same with every one of the millions upon millions of cups drunk every year. Instead, this tea is special. Each estate, each season, even each invoice-- the batches the teas are sold in, when they appear in the Darjeeling market-- is unique. It's amazing, and even sometimes a little sad, because you realize this exquisite thing you're drinking, once drunk, will be gone forever, and will never be exactly reproduced. There are characteristics that most great Darjeelings follow-- an ascerbic, very bright tone; a floral quality, a crystal-clear cup.

Now, that being said, I've had Arya estate Darjeelings before. Second flush, to be exact. Exquisite. The Arya estate has just about the highest standards for tea production, and they do make an attempt to follow organic farming.

This year was a bit difficult for the Darjeeling farmers, because there was a drought. When we in the Midwest of the U.S. have a drought, it's awful for the farmers, and can cause a serious drop of income for the region, and it might drive up the costs of, say, soybeans or corn. But the commoditized corn is produced elsewhere, and it will taste about the same. (I do not speak of specialized sweet corn, which can be quite special indeed.) But if the Darjeeling first-flush harvest flush were to fail, that's it. There is nothing that can replace it.

Anyway, in Darjeeling this year, there was serious concern that 2009 might not really have a first flush, because the drought was so rough. But at last, the rains came through, and there was a complete, if somewhat constricted, harvest. This means stocks are a bit low already, and many of these teas will already be purchased and gone by the time anyone reads this review.


ARYA ESTATE, DARJEELING
SFTGFOP1

Appearance of the cup: Rich, crystal, amber-gold

THE LEAVES
Olive green leaves, cut appearance. Very light aroma-- slightly floral, not very pungent.

THE CUP

• Delightful, dry mouthfeel, bright berrylike flavor, with a full dark note
• Honey sweetness, which remains in the lingering aftertaste
• Light and airy, very pleasant
• The aroma is rather faint.

The tea packs a kick on second cup, which as I've said before, is the "sweet spot" in any pot. The brightness is such a serious part of this tea! Smooth, even though there is this sharp quality. I am noting a brightly berry-like flavor in the high notes.

THE SECOND INFUSION
Still a lovely golden-amber color, though not as deep. The tea has lost a bit of its oomph, though, which is mostly manifesting in less of that sharp brightness. There is a more mellow, melon-like fruit note, and there is a buttery nut flavor-- a bit like the ghee I sometimes use to cook, though more like a faint echo of the flavor, without any heaviness. Very light, very transparent flavor. The tea is by far the best when drunk fairly hot, as it seems to lose something as it cools.



Web site:

ARYA SFTGFOP1 - 100% ORGANIC DARJEELING TEA (2009)

Dry Leaves:
Arya SFTGFOP1 is amongst the first invoices from Arya Tea Estate. As is every Darjeeling First Flush tea, the dry leaves bear a greenish appearance with some amount of silver tips. Has a sweet, buttery and honey fragrance which is in turn nutty and flowery in nature.

Infused Leaves:
The infused leaves are green which appears fresh and raw. Has a sweet - resembling honey - a hint of fresh grassy and minty characteristics.

Cup:
Most of Darjeeling First Flush teas have a weak cup that appears quite translucent in nature, but highly aromatic. This does not differ from the above statement. The cup is light and bright with some amount of astringency (this characteristic strengthens with longer steeping time, which is the case with all First Flush teas). It is highly flowery and nutty in its characteristics which is buttery and almondy. Has a sweet aftertaste.

REVIEW: Darjeeling Risheehat, 2nd Flush SFTGFOP1, Tea Gschwendner

I thought I'd try posting some tea reviews, as I feel inspired. I by no means have a terribly sophisticated palate, but I thought I'd give it a go. I'm doing this as I do downloads for my business, so not the most formal arrangements.

Tea merchant: Tea Gschwendner (Algonquin, IL)
Tea: Darjeeling Risheehat, Second Flush SFTGFOP1

Method of preparation:

• Run fresh, cold tap water through filter
• Bring just to boil on stove
• Heat four-cup black, cast-iron Japanese tetsubin
• Add 4.5 tsps of tea and a pinch of salt to steel filter that fits inside tetsubin
• Pour just-boiled water over leaves
• Steep exactly 3 minutes, remove leaves
• Let tea rest about 3 or 5 minutes before drinking, over tea candle

Remarks: Tea Leaves
Raw leaves are black with pale yellow tips, tightly rolled (though in long pieces, not balls). Has a rich, spicy brown smell, like a hot summer garden.

Steeped leaves, once removed from water, have a wonderful aroma: perhaps Concord grape, raw tobacco, grapefruit. Leaves unfurled light brown.

Drinking: First Cup
Served with milk and a little sugar. The sugar and milk overwhelmed the flavor of tea, so must try again without accompaniments. Tasted nice, but too muted. Dumb to put sugar/milk in with such high-quality tea, because it doesn't really need it at all, and it even detracts.

Second cup
Woody, astringent. The steeped leaves are more fragrant than the tea itself. At first, because the tea is so hot, it's hard to discern the flavors. While I wait for it to cool, I notice how long the aftertaste of the tea is. Maybe two minutes later, I am starting to notice this distinct but elusive grape flavor; like being in a grape arbor when the grapes are a little too early to be eaten (and you try one anyway).

Upon drinking the tea, I notice the aftertaste is better than the taste of the tea as I drink it. It's interesting, how this tea is tasted in the throat, rather than the tip of my tongue. Very smooth, woody, not terribly sharp.

I think I'll make another pot of this a few days from now and put the results here as a reply to this post. See if maybe using more tea leaves will make the tastes pop out more. As it is, it seemed just a bit weak for my taste, though still interesting.

....(time passing)...

By the fourth cup, suddenly the tastes of the tea are popping-- as I could tell by the "mmph" sound I made while drinking it. Very complicated tea with the characteristic Darjeeling sharpness showing up perhaps 30 seconds or more after swallowing.

I am convinced that a great cup of tea is like a red wine. You want to let it sit in the pot for a little while before tasting. Typically, a 3-5 minute wait is enough, but this Risheehat seems to need more like 20 minutes. I do know that there is a lot of complex chemistry going on in that pot as it sits there. Even after the tea leaves are removed from the pot, there are flavinoids (is that the right term?) that are releasing, which chemically combine with themselves and other substances in the tea, creating even more flavinoids... thus adding more layers of flavor to the experience as time goes on. By fourth cup, I'm tasting cherries, perhaps; some golden taste that rests on the tongue after the cherries, then resolving into that sharp astringency I expect from a Darj. On the fourth cup, I cheated and drank it with milk and sugar again. Ah, well, we can't all be perfect.

UPDATE: Also posted at TeaViews.com.