Review: Thunderbolt Tea’s 2010 Sample #6 Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	2nd Flush 2010 Singbulli White Jade
Company:	Thunderbolt Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	180° F (our guess)
Steeping time:	1-3 mins. (our guess)
Tea type:	White based on leaf appearance
Additions:	N/A
Aroma, dry leaves:	Green alfalfa

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	“Rich” is the best word for it
Taste, plain —	Initially faily bland, develops Muscatel quality as it cools, hits sides of tongue while nutty taste hits roof of mouth
Color, plain —	Pale rosy
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	“Rich” (hey, it worked for #1 above)
Taste, plain —	Same flavors as above but more intense
Color, plain —	Golden, rosy
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	“Rich” (3rd time is a charm!)
Taste, plain —	Same flavors as #1 but a bit more intense
Color, plain —	Lighter golden, rosy

 

Comments:
Hubby and I have been a bit fascinated and, quite frankly, somewhat disappointed with white teas we have tried recently. In fact, we were starting to lose interest in white teas altogether. Until we tried this one, that is.

Thunderbolt Tea, an amazing company, has “flushed” out another Darjeeling tea worthy of the name. It’s also the first white Darjeeling tea we’ve tried. This is another 2nd flush tea and was probably harvested in September.

The tea leaf pieces vary from small to large, including the leaf-bud combo. The color of the dry pieces varies from green with a downy appearance to coppery brown and even some almost black. Their fragrance on first opening the sample’s wonderful vacuum-sealed foil package was fresh like green alfalfa, and they enlarged nicely during steeping.

Since no steeping instructions came with the tea (just as with the other samples in this 2010 batch), we took a guess and went with the water temperature and steeping times we use for other white teas. There could have been a 4th or maybe even 5th steep, but we stopped at three. You could try going further and see how you like it.

The photo below doesn’t show the color difference as much as we saw in person. The 1st infusion was quite pale and rosy while the 2nd was much darker and rosy-orange, with the 3rd being about half way in-between.

We’re relishing the experience of how teas change flavors as they begin to cool after the initial pour into the cup. As with other teas, the flavors of this one changed, with the characteristic Muscatel flavor becoming more pronounced with a nutty hit to the roof of my mouth.

As with their other samples, this tea needs no sweetener or milk. Just a fabulous and refreshing white tea!

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: thepuriTea.com’s Ali Shan Oolong Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Ali Shan Oolong Tea
Company:	thepuriTea.com. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:

Oolong Ranking Bar:

About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	180° F
Steeping time:	3-5 mins. (diff for each infusion)
Tea type:	Oolong
Aroma, dry leaves:	Sweet green alfalfa

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Spinachy/rosy
Taste, plain —	Smooth, mild, light grassy/rosy
Color, plain —	Pale yellow-green
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Heavier spinachy/rosy
Taste, plain —	More grassy, smooth, mild, hint of rose
Color, plain —	Pale yellow-orangey
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Milder spinach/rosy
Taste, plain —	Flavor fading, faint
Color, plain —	Pale yellow-green

 

Comments:
Another Oolong that is very welcome in our tea pantry. Tasty multiple steepings give this tea real value and stretch out your tea dollars. In these economic times, that’s great news.

Hubby and I loved this and did 3 infusions, each a pleasure. The flavor characteristics of the first infusion carried through to each subsequent infusion with some mellowing. Unlike the description on their site, this tea is spinachy/rosy through all 3 infusions, although the last one is quite faint. The flavor was overall light. We suspect that we may not have used enough tea leaves and could have steeped a bit longer. (Be careful, since oversteeping can make the brew bitter.)

Their description:

Ali Shan’s complex flavor profile includes classic floral, honeyed and creamy notes, as well as hints of marine air, clover fields, sage and cracked black pepper. A honeyed finish with suggestions of pepper, menthol and sweet grass and a creamy, sweet second infusion make Ali Shan a tea that can be enjoyed for a long period of time.

Again, don’t be discouraged if your taste experience differs from the “official” description. If you order one of the sample sizes that Nav, the company owner, offers, you can do a little experimenting.

One look at the tea leaves before and after steeping shows the high quality of this tea, with mainly whole leaves and some stems:

The steeping directions on the label vary slightly from those on the vendor’s site (where it says steep time is 3 to 4 minutes).

A quiet moment, a tasty treat, and a cuppa this tea. Who would want more?

Their packaging of these sample sizes were rather interesting.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Joy’s Teaspoon Eternal Sunshine Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Eternal Sunshine
Company:	Joy’s Teaspoon. [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	Yes
Flavor blend balanced?	Yes

Water temperature:	176-194° F (we did 180˚ F)
Steeping time:	2-3 mins.
Tea type:	Black
Additions:	orange peel, freeze-dried raspberries, cornflower blossoms, flavoring (unspecified)
Aroma, dry leaves:	Cocoa-ish, faint citrus/floral

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Earthy, hint of cocoa/citrus
Taste, plain —	Earthy, citrus, cocoa-ish, floral
Color, plain —	Red-brown
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Earthy, hint of cocoa/citrus
Taste, plain —	Earthiness & fruit/floral stronger
Color, plain —	Dark brown
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Earthy, hint of cocoa/citrus
Taste, plain —	Earthy, slight citrus tang
Color, plain —	Red-brown

 

Comments:
Okay, readers, time for me to once again lie and say, “This tea is awful!” (Heh, heh, heh…it’s ALL MINE!)

The company site says this version of pu-erh is good for those trying the tea for the first time. I disagree. If you have not tried pu-erhs before, you won’t be able to fully pick up and appreciate the pu-erh flavors in this blend. However, if you have tried pu-erh and thought it too earthy, give this tea blend a try. Naomi Rosen has successfully mixed that pu-erh taste with citrus and floral. Somehow that mix conveys a cocoa-ish fragrance and taste.

A good thing about this tea is that you can enjoy it straight or with milk and sweetener. Straight, each infusion is different, which is also a drawback. The added flavors fade away with each successive infusion, one reason we stopped at 3, where the site says a 4th is possible. It’s also one reason we have tended to steer away from teas with “stuff” added. With milk and sweetener, this tea not only looks like a cuppa hot cocoa, it has a cocoa-ish, dessert-like flavor. Substitute a cuppa this tea for that wedge of cake or pie.

We want to send Naomi a message: Don’t change your recipe here! As far as we’re concerned, you have a big hit! And that’s really saying something coming from tea drinkers like us who prefer straight teas.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Element Tea’s Scottish Highlands Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Scottish Highlands
Company:	Element Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	212° F
Steeping time:	4 mins.
Tea type:	Indian black teas (not specified)
Aroma, dry leaves:	Very light

1st Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Subdued maltiness, almost regal
Taste, plain —	Mild, slight tang as cools
Color, plain —	Ruby
Taste, enhanced —	Smooth
2nd Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Faint
Taste, plain —	Weak – not recommended
Color, plain —	Lighter ruby

Comments:
Think of the Scottish Highlands: heather and mist, bagpipes wailing like the mythical Banshees, castles and lochs (lakes), and of course the men in their kilts! Got it? Great. Now, picture all of that with a cuppa this tea in your hand. Ah, a real tea moment!

The dry tea is good-sized pieces, which indicates this is more of an orthodox tea, not a CTC tea. The tea has a very faint aroma when dry. The sample came in one of those cute little packets that is foil lined. Unfortunately, they are not sealed, so air can get in. We don’t know if it affected this tea or not, but we think not. We suspect that the faint aroma is natural for this tea.

A frustration is that the company does not specify which teas were used. Hubby and I suspect an orthodox Assam and possibly a Nilgiri or some Autumn Flush Darjeeling.

One thing we always bear in mind is that the sample is a small portion of a larger batch and, as such, occasionally contains something — er — odd. In this case, it was a strange-looking stem with part of a leaf attached. We made sure this did not get into the teapot.

The aroma and flavor of this tea is about as mild as the Assam #1 we tried recently. Unlike that one, however, this one develops a faint tang as it cools, only a slight flaw since the tea tastes so good you’ll drink it all before it even has a chance to cool.

Like that other tea, this one has a flavor that doesn’t really need anything added. It is mild and pleasant. We tried it with stuff added anyway. Hubby likes it with just a touch of sweetener added. I like it with sweetener and milk. If you want to add either of these, remember “Easy does it!” The tea can easily get overwhelmed. If you like honey as a sweetener, use just a few drops.

I tried to get hubby to wear his kilt, complete with sporen and skeendoo, while we tried this tea but wasn’t successful. Sigh!

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The English Tea Store’s Pai Mu Tan Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Pai Mu Tan (Organic)
Company:	The English Tea Store

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	180° F
Steeping time:	3 mins.
Tea type:	White
Aroma, dry leaves:	Fresh, planty

1st Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Planty, faintly flowery/smoky
Taste, plain —	Planty, smoky
Color, plain —	Pale golden
2nd Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Planty, faintly flowery/smoky
Taste, plain —	Planty with sesame-like aftertaste
Color, plain —	Pale golden
3rd Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Planty, faintly flowery/smoky
Taste, plain —	Smooth
Color, plain —	Pale golden

 

Comments:
REPEATING MY PET PEEVE: Tea videos are great, but I wish tea companies would also put the steeping instructions in a text description on their Website.

Okay, enough griping. On with the review.

The person in the video for this tea says to heat the water to 180° F and steep for 3 minutes, so we did. I tried to ignore his description of what the tea would taste like, not wanting to build up expectations that the tea would not meet. Unfortunately, I heard that the taste was supposed to be jammy. Also unfortunately, the tea wasn’t jammy. (Their Scottish Breakfast is jammy — very and pleasantly so. This tea tastes nothing like that.)

The other oddity about this version of white tea is the lack of any downy appearance on the tea leaves, as I have seen on others. Plus, one look at the tea leaves, both before and after steeping shows that no sorting for size and grade took place, part of the minimalist nature of the processing this tea goes through. (Pai Mu Tan’s tend to be processed as little as possible.) The varying sizes give the tea quite a blend of tea flavors, as a result.

As white teas go, I’d rather have Snow Dragon or maybe White Eagle Long Life. That’s not to say that this tea isn’t tasty. It’s just not what hubby and I look for in a white tea. We prefer one that is light in flavor, a true sipper tea. However, you may find this tea in line with your own taste.

Oddly enough, though, hubby and I discovered that this is a great tea to have with a main meal. We chose it as our New Year’s Eve dinner tea.

Hubby and I don’t fall for the organic mumbo-jumbo nor assume that something labeled “organic” is going to be better quality (often, it’s just more expensive).

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Canton Tea Company’s Bai Mu Dan White Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Bai Mu Dan
Company:	Canton Tea Company. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	167° F
Steeping time:	2-3 mins. (we did 2, 2½, & 3 mins.)
Tea type:	White
Aroma, dry leaves:	Fresh mown alfalfa with nutty quality

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Faint sweetness
Taste, plain —	Mild, hay-like, faint sweet cumin-like character
Color, plain —	Pale orangey gold
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	2½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Mild candy-like sweetness
Taste, plain —	Mild, not as hay-like or cumin-like
Color, plain —	Darker orangey gold
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Faint
Taste, plain —	Faded
Color, plain —	Pale orangey gold

 

Comments:
Gotta love that heat-sealed foil pouch. Considering the journey those tea leaves took, a package that blocks light, air, and moisture shows true care on the part of the vendor.

Despite a rather limpid 3rd infusion we find this a satisfying tea. We might try some more of it later and steep only once for 3 minutes, just to see if some of the flavors evident in it this go-round will come out better if left to steep longer.

The dry leaves are typical of this tea type, containing stems, broken pieces, and even some small whole leaves. This is due in part to the minimal processing this type of tea undergoes, which means among other things no sorting of the leaf pieces for size. Some of the pieces also had the downiness characteristic of white teas and were more consistent in size than another version we tried.

We steeped up small quantities in our little yellow teapot. (You might want to use a gaiwan, if you have one.) Our steeped liquid was quite a bit darker than shown in the photo on the vendor’s site. Also, as with a number of other teas, our taste experience differed from the vendor’s description.

Them:

Smooth and mellow, it is cucumber fresh with soft fruit notes and a lingering, sweet aftertaste.

Us:

Mild, hay-like, with 1st infusion having a mysteriously cumin-like sweetness. (We even brought out our jar of cumin-seed to compare.)

Try some and see what you think. This is an award-winning (2009) tea, which doesn’t mean you will like it, but the judges apparently did. One thing to keep in mind is that Canton deals with specific tea gardens and limited quantities. There will be variation from one year to the next. Also, it takes skilled workers to process this tea, and then it travels thousands of miles. That affects taste, too. If you have ever lived near an orange grove and eaten a tree-ripened orange versus one that is picked a bit green and then brought to your local grocery store, you know what I mean about the taste issues. All the more reason to rejoice in Jennifer and Edgar using those great pouches.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Tula Teas’ Formosa Green

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Formosa Green
Company:	Tula Teas. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	195° F
Steeping time:	1 min. each infusion
Tea type:	Green
Aroma, dry leaves:	Fresh, grassy/nutty
Color, plain —	Yellowy-green

1st Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Planty/floral/grassy
Taste, plain —	Spinachy, mild, smooth/rounded feel
2nd Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Planty/floral
Taste, plain —	More spinachy, mild, not as smooth
3rd Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Spinachy
Taste, plain —	Light spinachy, lightly hay-like
4th Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Lighter
Taste, plain —	Spinachy, milder

Comments:
Tula is a tea company that, though relatively young, is certainly one whose teas are well above average and that we’re excited to get to try. They are specially selected and high-quality, relying on the tea leaves for their flavor, with the exception of Genmaicha (a blend of green tea and toasted rice). This is our first foray into their products. I don’t think hubby and I will ever be the same!

Tula’s site describes the tea leaves as “large, pebbly” and we agree, both in their dry and after steeping stages. They open up quite large, so using an infuser is something we would encourage you to avoid. Let the leaves open fully and impart their tea essence into the water. They recommend steeping in a smaller container. Since the Little Yellow Teapot holds about 2 cups of liquid, he was perfect for this test (which made him very happy).

Their description of the flavor:

Savory notes of sautéed scallops, steamed clams and kale soup are balanced with a floral and occasionally milky sweetness. Satiating, brothy umami richness and a hint of metallic ozone give this tea a depth that rivals the best wild-harvested Japanese Gyokuros and Taiwanese oolongs. Later infusions release a sweeter, more floral flavor with pleasing mineral and spinach notes.

Well, sorry to say but once again, we have a tea vendor description that is not what a regular tea drinking customer would experience. In fact, based on this description, I would not order this tea. That would be sad, because this tea is one of the best green teas hubby and I have tried recently. It is truly superb. The issue seems to be the inclination to make the taste description as complex or “high falutin’” as possible. There’s no need, especially when your tea already has such an enticing aroma and flavor.

We have some of the sample left and will do a follow-up trial later, doing a longer first steep. We suspect that this tea could have a wonderful flavor with a longer steep. We stuck with the shorter steep times here to get more infusions.

The sample package is the best we’ve seen so far and should keep the teas great tasting for awhile. They block out both light and air. We always store our teas away from heat sources, too.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: thepuriTea.com’s Golden Yunnan Black Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	White Monkey Green Tea
Company:	thepuriTea.com. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	212° F
Steeping time:	5-7 mins. (diff for each infusion)
Tea type:	Black
Aroma, dry leaves:	Jammy, fresh

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	5 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Smoky maple syrup
Taste, plain —	Earthy (like Pu-erh), mild, not bitter, smooth
Color, plain —	Orangey brown
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	6 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Smoky maple syrup
Taste, plain —	Earthy (like Pu-erh), mild, not bitter, smooth
Color, plain —	Orangey brown
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	7 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Smoky maple syrup
Taste, plain —	Earthy (like Pu-erh), mild, not bitter, smooth
Color, plain —	Orangey brown

 

Comments:
Sometimes, I want to say how awful a tea is so I can have it all to myself. So, “this tea is awful!!”

Not really. Actually, it is an amazing tea. My taste notes above don’t begin to tell the story. The flavor is earthy yet maple syrupy (but not in a sweet way, if that makes any sense). The aroma is beyond description, sort of a cross between smoky and maple syrup (again, not in a sweet way).

Their description:

These beautiful, tippy leaves brew into a dark, copper-red infusion with sweet aromas of warming spices, baked apples, raisins, tobacco and wood. The flavor is full-bodied, woodsy and malty, with notes of pepper, tobacco, toasted wheat and flowers. The finish is remarkably clean, with notes of honey and malt.

Again, don’t be discouraged if your taste experience differs from the “official” description. Just decide if you like it or not. Fortunately, Nav, the company owner, offers samples sizes of his teas at affordable prices. You can order this and other of his fine teas and conduct your own tea tasting.

Hubby and I loved this and did 3 infusions, each a pleasure, both plain and with a bit of milk and sweetener which made it taste smoother, rounded, and like a perfect complement to pancakes or French toast. The flavor characteristics of the first infusion carried through to each subsequent infusion with some mellowing.

One look at the tea leaves before and after steeping shows the high quality of this tea:

The steeping directions on the label vary slightly from those on the vendor’s site (where it says steep time is 3 to 5 minutes).

Definitely a tea to enjoy for a soothing moment or whenever you need something warm and pleasant. Also, if you want a tea that is sort of a lighter version of a Pu-erh, this is it.

Their packaging of these sample sizes were rather interesting.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Joy’s Teaspoon All That Jazz-mine Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	All That Jazz-mine
Company:	Joy’s Teaspoon. [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	No
Flavor blend balanced?	No

Water temperature:	176-194° F (we did 180˚ F)
Steeping time:	2-3 mins. (we did 2.5 mins.)
Tea type:	White
Additions:	Jasmine blossoms (buds, actually)
Aroma, dry leaves:	Mild jasmine

1st Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Jasmine
Taste, plain —	Balance of Jasmine and green tea at first
Color, plain —	Dark golden
2nd Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Jasmine
Taste, plain —	Balance of Jasmine and green tea at first
Color, plain —	Golden, slightly cloudy

 

Comments:
The green tea used as the basis for this blend is not specified and, considering that its flavor is almost totally subdued by the jasmine, that’s fine with me. Most people who drink jasmine green tea seem to do so for the jasmine, not the tea, flavor.

The company Website says that Jasmine blossoms were used. To me that means fully formed and opened flowers. This contained Jasmine pieces that looked more like buds, not green, but not opened, as you can see here:

Steeping tip: Don’t include the Jasmine buds in with the tea when you steep. That way you will get a liquid that isn’t overly flavored.

Many Jasmine teas are made by spreading out layers of fresh-picked tea leaves, then Jasmine petals/blossoms over them, and then another layer of tea leaves. These are left to wither (go limp, with some of the moisture leaving the leaves). The leaves absorb the aroma and flavor of the Jasmine. This version is different.

The company Website doesn’t say, but I suspect that this tea is one where the Jasmine was added after the tea leaves had been fully processed. It certainly looks and tastes like that. This would account for the difference in taste and aroma of this Jasmine green tea as compared to others hubby and I have tried. The best way to explain it is to compare blueberry muffins to plain muffins that you top with blueberry preserves. In the former, the blueberry taste is more subtle and evenly spread throughout the muffin. In the latter, you get a big taste of blueberry up front in each bite and then a gob of muffin taste. I found myself getting clobbered with the Jasmine aroma and then the flavor, with the green tea flavor trailing them. Also, as with the muffins, as the tea cooled, the Jasmine flavor became more dominant until it was overwhelming.

A tip with this tea, therefore, is to drink it hot. The Jasmine is less overpowering and more blended with the green tea flavor.

Storage tip: If you plan to have this tea around awhile, be aware that Jasmine is one of those scents that tends to leech out of even supposedly airtight containers. One thing that could help is to use a piece of plastic wrap pushed down inside the tin (or whatever) over the tea, and put the lid back on. It will help a bit.

By the way, there is a trend among tea companies to give their teas, especially blends that they’ve devised themselves, cute names. As a writer and tea aficionado, I tend to be amused, impressed, and generally delighted by many of them. This is one, especially since the movie All That Jazz is one I have enjoyed watching dozens of times. Punning around with the Jasmine and making it “Jazz-mine” is quite delectable.

One last item: Hubby had some of the tea that was left over from the tasting along with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. The tea had cooled a bit but wasn’t cold. He said the taste pairing was really great. Kudos to Joy’s Teaspoon on that!

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Thunderbolt Tea’s 2010 Sample #5 Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	2nd Flush 2010 Risheehat Clonal Flowery
Company:	Thunderbolt Tea. [More info] [About Clonal Teas]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	180° F (our guess)
Steeping time:	3-4 mins. (our guess)
Tea type:	Green based on leaf appearance
Additions:	N/A
Aroma, dry leaves:	Planty, fruity

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Fruity, planty
Taste, plain —	Mild, fruity, not bitter, slightly planty
Color, plain —	Golden, rosy
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3.5 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Fruity, planty, sweet caramelly
Taste, plain —	Mild, fruity, not bitter, slightly planty
Color, plain —	Golden, rosy
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Fruity, planty
Taste, plain —	Mild, fruity, not bitter, slightly planty
Color, plain —	Lighter golden, rosy

 

Comments:
Thunderbolt Tea is quite an amazing company. You don’t get a bunch of nondescript Darjeeling. You get very specific teas from specially selected tea gardens. That means the flavors will vary with each year, flush, and garden, so each tea is a new adventure, yet they all have that distinctive Darjeeling character. This tea is no exception.

The Risheehat Tea Garden in the Darjeeling province of India is at one of the lower elevations, ranging from 980 to 2050 meters above sea level. It has over 250 hectares planted with tea and harvests at least three times during the year. This 2nd flush tea was probably harvested in September.

The tea leaf pieces are large for the most part and include the leaf-bud combo. The color of the dry pieces varies from a coppery brown to a deep, cool green. Their fragrance was preserved by the sample’s wonderful vacuum-sealed foil package, as fresh as the day it was sealed at the Risheehat Estate. They enlarged nicely during steeping.

Since no steeping instructions came with the tea (just as with the first sample in this 2010 batch), we took a guess and went with the water temperature and steeping times we use for sturdier green teas such as Gunpowder. We started at a 3-minute steep and added 30 seconds to each subsequent steep time. There could have been a 4th or maybe even 5th steep, but we stopped at three. You could try going further and see how you like it.

As with other teas, the flavor of this one changed subtly as it started to cool after being poured into the cup. It never became bitter, though, as some teas do. The fruitiness became more pronounced with a planty finish (hubby calls it a “solid flavor base” — sounds okay to me).

You won’t need any sweetener or milk for this tea. Just set your tastebuds on “stunning” and prepare to enjoy!

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.