The odd thing about this tea is that the vendor (and other vendors, too) classifies it as a black tea. My humans and I (as well as other members of the Tea Gang) tend to think of Darjeeling teas as pretty much in a class by themselves. This tea certainly did not have the kind of flavor profile we have come to expect from a black tea. It was more akin to an oolong.
We treated the tea with kid gloves, using a water temperature that might have been too cool (180-190° F) and steeped too short on the first infusion (2 minutes). Possibly a tougher treatment would be in order here and bring out more flavor from those leaves. Worth a bit of experimenting.
This is a wonderfully delicate Darjeeling, with a flavor that starts out a bit floral in the first infusion and then turns somewhat lightly vegetal and naturally sweet in the second and third infusions. The dry leaves are multi-colored, thin, and twisted which is rather typical for Darjeelings.
About the Sourenee Tea Garden:
One of the founders of this wonderful tea garden is Bjoujit Rai, son of the erstwhile Dakman Rai who was as responsible Darjeeling's establishment.
Sourenee in the Mirik Valley of the Darjeeling area of India is a tea garden with a unique scenic beauty. Though the age of the tea estate is more than 100 years old, its oldest tea shrubs are now being replaced with new clonal plants in stages.
Visit Lochan Tea at: http://www.lochantea.com/shop/index.php
Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, any opinions concerning this tea and the company are always strictly objective.
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I agree with you that Darjeeling should be in a class of it's own.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that would then bring up the argument that teas from each region should be in classes of their own.
Darjeeling's are basically classified as black teas due to their oxidation levels - however, nothing new in this as i'm sure you already know this.
Sourenee has recently come under new management, gone Organic and has started making some beautiful teas.
They have been taking very good care of the tea garden and the factory and this shows in the teas they are producing. Of course, prices are on the rise too as a result of this.
Hi, Vivek, it was a pleasure for the Tea Gang to try this tea. My remarks about Darjeelings was meant as complimentary. We think these teas are so special that they deserve a class unto themselves (they sort of have that with the special designation they now have). Also, now that you mention it, some other tea regions might also want such a special designation. For example, "dragonwell" has almost become a generic term describing a style of processing tea leaves vs a tea from the gardens around the Dragonwell town. Glad to hear that the garden is enjoying such good care, although we do not pay any attention to organic designations. Prices go up for a number of reasons: reputation of the tea, costs to produce, etc. But these prices will only go as high as the market will bear. Basic economics. Best wishes for their success.
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