Lochan Tea Limited

You know, I don’t think I’ve ever drank a first flush Darjeeling before, so this will be a first for me.

The scent of the tea was quite unusual, very green and vegetale and not as much of the basic ‘tea’ scent as I was expecting. The leaves are surprisingly green-looking too and after I steeped them they looked more like the leaves of a green tea – brightly green and vibrant-looking. The liquor is a warm, amber-gold shade and very clear-looking, unlike some teas that have a cloudy appearance.

There’s definitely a buttered cooked-greens sort of flavour to this cup, though it also has a slightly sweetness that makes the flavour quite appealing. It’s not very astringent, just a hint of dryness on the tongue as I sip, though it’s still a very ‘clean’-tasting tea. The traditional muscatel flavour isn’t very strong and I get it near the end of each sip and it lingers more on the tongue as an aftertaste.

Admittedly my experience is hardly vast, but this tastes like a good tea. The sort of drink that might not be amiss at the tables of the world’s finest tea conoisseurs.

I’m pretty much out of flavored black teas (only about 1 serving left of Florence….) so I’ve having this Assam today. It is very enjoyable and almost makes me forget that I was really craving an Earl Grey! I also steeped this much longer than usual and it is not bitter so I’m impressed.

I’m starting my day with this, even though it is almost 6pm. After this I will be switching to caffeine free teas so I’m really enjoying this.

This originally wasn’t my favorite Assam from the two I compared, but it is still really good. Although it isn’t as malty as I would like, it takes milk and sugar extremely well while also pairing nicely with every breakfast I’ve had. I think the one conclusion I’ve come to is: I must keep an Assam in my cupboard at all times.

This may not be my favorite Assam, but it is still quite good. I’m on my second infusion complete with warm milk and sugar.

Compared to the Rani Assam, this one is much redder in color. There seem to be more of the golden hay colored leaves in this one. The scent of both the dry leaf and the brewed tea is on the side of earthy, rather than malty. Plain, this tea is more astringent and almost a tad bitter. Taken with milk and sugar, the bitter edge is no longer present but the tea still has a sharp bite. The malty aspect is there, but not near as strong as the Rani. This one is good, but I think I like the Rani more due to its strong malty aspect. For that reason, this one will be receiving a slight ratings drop as both Assams were currently the same rating.

After the Darjeeling I had earlier, I really need a black tea. I’ve decided the Darjeeling is good, but is very much like a green tea which isn’t what I wanted. I want something bold, rich, and something that will stand up to milk and sugar. So Assam it is.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to pinpoint any differences between this 2010 Mokalbari Assam and the 2010 Rani Assam I had the other day without having them side by side. However, I did notice that this particular Assam had more golden leaves than the Rani.

As for the scent? Malty, malty, earthy goodness. Just the scent makes me happy, it is going to be a good evening after all.

Without tasting the two Assams side by side I can’t be sure but I think this particular one has a more malty taste to it. Both are great though! Yay for strong black tea!

I gave the rest of this one to my mom, but I sort of miss it. Here is a longer review from It’s All About the Leaf: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/945/tea-review-lochan-tea-phuguri-sftgfop-1st-flush-2010-darjeeling/

I wanted a green tea this afternoon, but I don’t have any (except for RoT’s Honey Ginseng…ewww). I was about to give up and have another black tea, but I remembered I have this Darjeeling which may as well be a green tea. I like this well enough, but mainly it just makes me want to invest in a few green teas and possibly some white teas.

I just don’t think I would go out of my way to get another 1st Flush Darjeeling.

This is really growing on me the more I drink it. The taste reminds me of the things I like about pouchong (buttery, slightly floral), but it doesn’t turn on me like pouchong does. I think I’m going to raise the rating a bit more on this one because I was actually craving it today.

I chose this because I knew I didn’t really need caffeine if I wanted to sleep tonight, but I didn’t want an herbal (lets face it, the only herbals I have left are Lipton…but I’m probably going to place a 52teas order soon for a couple rooibos/honeybush…but I digress)

I’m liking this tea a lot more today than the last 2 times I drank it. The water was much hotter which I thought might ruin it, but I like it better. Very full-bodied, light green tea-like taste with a bit of fruitiness on the end. I will be slightly boosting the ratings.

A Tale of Two Darjeelings, Part Two

In the package, the Phuguri Darjeeling appears to be much blacker in color but after hitting the water they also become green. The difference is that the Phuguri is a hunter green while the Castleton was bright green. I can immediately tell a difference between the two estates. The Phuguri has an obvious fruity scent while the Castleton did not.

The Phuguri has a much lighter floral taste and no buttery aspects. The end of the sip and aftertaste are very fruity and grape-like. This tea is pleasant even as it cools.

Verdict: Phuguri Darjeeling wins!

Umm…I don’t really know what I expected from this as I’ve never had a Darjeeling, but this definitely threw me for a loop. The leaves are very green, way greener than I expected. I really thought Darjeeling was a black tea….the dry leaves also had a strange almost vegetal smell which began to scare me a bit. Luckily the tea doesn’t taste very scary, just different. It is very much like a floral green tea with a hint of fruitiness towards the end of the sip. I’m not sure if I like it or hate it though. My current aversion could just be due to the fact that I was really wanting a bold black tea. I’ll most likely be able to finish the rest of my sample, but I’m not sure how fast. I feel this would be better with something in it, but I don’t know what addition it needs. Hmm…

I’m in need of more caffeine so I’m enjoying some Assam. This is the best Assam I’ve ever had especially with honey and milk. So chewy, malty, and slightly sweet, seriously this is good stuff that I will really miss once it is gone.

Another Assam! I’m only working with one infusion on these Assams today because I’m trying to get a caffeine buzz going. So far, so good.

My favorite Assam. I was on the phone with the university when the timer went off so it was lukewarm by the time I got to it and it is still good.

I know I am completely insane for having this so late at night, but it is so good! I really do need to pick up some great caffeine free teas though so I’m not tempted to do something like this again.

I’m feeling Assam today! Seriously, hot milk and sugar is the way to go… at least for today.

I’m trying to drink this Assam and the other 2010 1st flush I have back-to-back to see if I can tell a difference between the two estates. Stay tuned for the final decision!

Yay! Second infusion is great too, but I think I’ll stop at 2. On to more tea!

I need tea. I’ve been out of town for the past couple of days without good tea. I wanted to try either an Assam or a Darjeeling, but since I wanted something that would most likely be good with milk I picked this Assam. I wasn’t sure what STGFOP meant, but according to google it means: Special Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. That doesn’t mean much to me, but it is interesting to know.

I expected the dry leaves to be just plain black leaves, but there was a fair amount of golden hay colored leaves as well. The scent of the dry tea is very earthy and malty. In fact, the scent reminds me a lot of Dawn minus the chocolate aspect. While steeping, the scent reminds me a lot of the Twinings’ Irish Breakfast – which makes sense…I believe I read somewhere that that tea is a Ceylon/Assam blend. I love malty teas, so if this tea is malty I think I’m in for a treat.

The tea turned out to be medium-brown in color. I tried the tea plain first, although I had no intention of drinking the entire cup plain. It was very robust in the way that a dark roast coffee is robust – strong but you wouldn’t want to drink it plain. This is good though because it should handle additions nicely. I added a bit of milk and sugar which made it absolutely delicious! It is very much like my beloved Irish Breakfast, but I think I like this better. The difference is in the quality – bagged vs loose. This is great stuff with lots of caffeine. Not even halfway into my cup and I’m feeling it.

The leaves of my sample are a gorgeous dark green which wonderfully sets of the fair amount of golden tips. Mainly consisting of whole leaves which are thin, wiry and gently curled, there are a few broken leaves with a bit of dust in the bottom of the sample. The aroma reminds me of stone fruits with a slight malty overtone.

I set up my tea-maker using sixteen grams of leaves and a brew temp of 200 degrees. (The recommended temp was 194 but I didn’t have that option.) I used a steep time of three and a half minutes.

The resulting liquor is a warm golden brown with an aroma that almost perfect matches the scent given off by the dry leaves. This is a rather light Assam with just a touch of dryness that teases the edges of your tongue. There is a natural sweetness to it and a taste that reminds me of stone fruit. One sip and I swear that I am reminded of peaches and the next sip is one of plums.

Most Assams are too heavy for me to enjoy without a good dose of rock sugar and half-n-half to smooth out the sharpness. This one however is just perfect for sipping with just a dab of sweetening. I think that I am in love.