I love Darjeelings but have found it tricky to shop for them. I've mainly gone for 2nd flush from good estates --- Thurbo, Namring, etc,. -- and any affordable Castleton deals. I don't have a good framework for choosing among them I generaly reckon I'll have to pay $80 a pound as entry price. I've tried broken leaf and a few blends but I really want the special surprise of the really good DJs. I've also gravitated to Nepalese Gold and a few standout estates like Guranse.
I'd welcome guides and opinions. Also, any opinions on Teabox which seems to be a potential game changer -- I tried a couple of their samples and was pleased by just how quickly the order arrived from India and the packaging. Are there other online providers that I should look at?
gone for 2nd flush from good estates --- Thurbo, Namring, etc,. -- and any affordable Castleton deals. I don't have a good framework for choosing amo ng them I generaly reckon I'll have to pay $80 a pound as entry price. I've tried broken leaf and a few blends but I really want the special surprise of the really good DJs. I've also gravitated to Nepalese Gold and a few sta ndout estates like Guranse.
to be a potential game changer -- I tried a couple of their samples and wa s pleased by just how quickly the order arrived from India and the packagin g. Are there other online providers that I should look at?
Mandy, I'm a big fan of Teabox. I've been a customer since they were Darjee ling Tea Xpress. They've seemed to have dropped some of the estates they we re carrying but they still have +20 to choose from. You get a nice cross se ction of some of the small & large estates. (For me, there's nothing like J ungpana estate 2nd flush - the muscatel is incredible). They have sample pa cks for all their teas, so you can try before a big purchase. Try some samp le packs of their greens & whites - Darjeeling's unique taste carries over. If you like other Himalayan teas, I suggest you try their Kangras - very i nteresting flavor profiles.
I would also recommend Golden Tips teas. They've been around for a long tim e selling gift packs & more high end blends, but they've seemed to have mov ed big into single estate Darjeeling's - they were carrying over 35 estates .
If you want a bargain, Thurderbolt Teas sells last years 1st flushes at 50% discount & 2nd flushes at 30% discount. 1st flush Darjeelings hold up pret ty well so its a good deal. They were carrying between 10 - 15 estates.
Thanks for the tip on Guranse. I've run into 2 Nepalese blends that I was v ery impressed with but never knew a good estate. Let us know what you buy.
Many thanks, Wes. Helpful and fuels my interest in exploring more. I just got Teabox's Darjeeling samples -- 66 teas. I'm a bit like the kid and the candy store. It's a superb mix and I find that it is both fun and perhaps even necessary to vary your pick, whereas with greens and whites I tend to stick with a few favorites. Darjeelings have so many shades of taste and I love that tension between the full and the subtle. So far, I haven't found a DJ oolong that stands out -- the lack that aftertaste complexity that can have me sitting up -- no grabbers so far.
My next exploration is a few Assams. The estate labels don't seem worth the exra money and they so often seem on the edge of harshness.
If I may add a comment. I have devoured various Darjeeling teas for decades. At present, I find nothing superior to a fresh Namring Estate. Year-old teas are generally quite drinkable and good value, but do not compete in flavour with current year teas.
It just happens that I am drinking the Namring second flush from Harney and Sons this morning. I like it a lot, but it's a very different style than most of the more popular first flush Darjeelings. It's much darker, without that green note, and I'd suggest it's probably withered a lot more thoroughly than the typical Darjeelings. This is something I like a lot, but not everyone does (as witnessed by the large number of grassy darjeelings out there).
I posted a month or two ago about testing a short list of second flush Darjeelings... everything I tried had some good character of some sort.
If you're lucky, they have been stored well and are nearly as good as the fresh tea. If you're not lucky, they can be like lawn clippings. It all depends on how well they were stored.
This past week I received 2015 First Flush Black Teas from Teabox and GoldenTipsTea and 3 White FF Darjeelings. So far, I have been alittle underwhelmed with them. They did not measure up to the First Flush Black teas from Silvertipstea I received last year. They have not received their FF yet. The leaves have been broken(and small) and not as fragrant
I received last year. They have not received their FF yet.
Haven't posted here in a while, and I'm a little late but I've been somewha t underwhelmed with this years DJs offerings as well; no matter where I got them from. Maybe there's some good stuff available somewhere but so far no real luck. OTOH I've tasted some remarkable 2015 FF leaves from Nepal, som e Jun Chiabaris, Guranses and a wonderfully complex Sakhira. If it goes on like this our friends in Darjeeling have even more to worry about.
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