looking for high grade darjeeling distributor

I had largely given up on Darjeelings for a long time. I am, alas, old enough to remember when they tended to be somewhat more fermented. The style of recent decades has been, to me, far too astringent. Good top notes, but not enough in the middle and bass. The thin body (sorry for this sloppy language) means that they won't even carry a spot of milk to smooth things out. These teas are just too green for my sense of how to balance out those unique DJ notes.

I've recently encountered a bunch of interesting estate Darjeelings from "The Darjeeling Tea Lady" - snipped-for-privacy@finesttippy.com. (No commercial connection yet, though I expect to be buying when I've finished re-tasting some samples.) Of the nine I've tried so far, two were in the family of familiar FF and 2F, though slightly more fermented with with a much smoother, richer taste - without, to my nose, giving up any floweriness. These take me back a few decades. At the risk of shocking the English set here, I brew almost everything in a gaiwan, including "black" teas. Three very good steeps and a weak but well-balanced fourth with water well off the boil and progressively increasing steep times. Very low astringency even at the end.

A third and fourth presented like silver needles and white peony. Latter very good; overlay of baimudan notes on a very smooth DJ. Former was remarkable, almost bluish in color and transitioning during multiple steeps from a white-tea to a silver-needles taste profile with late citrus notes.

The other five, however, were stunning and quite apart from anything I've known. I'd call them full oolong style, with dry leaf and liquor a clear brown and spent leaf about halfway between green and brown. The flavor is distinctive: a full range of DJ high and middle notes, with a wonderful, rich foundation. It's almost as though someone had made a beerenauslese from gewurtztraminer.

I have a small portfolio of teas that I keep to hand for "house" offerings to bring guests into the camellia fold, and to give as housewarming and other gifts. These include a cheap'n'cheerful dan cong oolong, the current year's crop of dian hong from Yunnan Sourcing (reliable and reasonable), shavings of a gigantic, very mild YiWu green Puerh bing donated by a friend, Yorkshire Gold or a like EBT, a current high-roast oolong from Tea Gallery, and whatever affordable imitation Dragon Well is to hand. I am going to add at least one of these DJ "oolongs" for its easy brewing, clear presentation of regional/varietal characteristics, and (mainly) terrific taste!

-DM

DogMa,

I'm always interested in new Darjeeling sources. Does this Lady have a website?

Regards, Dean

No, she doesn't. She does have a tea list / price list / catalog, which she apparently will be glad to send by snail mail.

Doug

teaMaster and others. May I suggest my website. We have been getting great reviews on the Chamong teas.

Regards, George Jacksonville Tea Company

I recommend overall the specialteas.com (they do wholesale), eastrise trading company (a little annoying to deal with but some of the best quality wholesale teas I have found), and international tea importers. I think you can find all of them on the web, though eastrise and iti are wholesale only. Hope this helps you, I am assuming that you are looking for wholesale. I also recommend avoiding metropolitan tea because of relatively low quality of teas that I have gotten from them. Good for flavored teas, bad for quality teas. Once again I hope this helps, I work part time in a tea shop so I have dealt with several suppliers and these are the best for quality.

Precisely what five are these? I'd love to try them.

--scott

I'm still working through re-tastings. Allow me to mention four in the spectrum of very rich, smooth, dessert-type teas, and two whites. I'll share some of my preliminary notes here, all quick-and-dirty with limited control of conditions and no optimization. All used 1-2g leaf in a 40 ml gaiwan with water well of the boil.

Rohini Enigma. ... harking back to how I remember DJs from my earliest tea-days. Seems to have a very high (well over 50%, whatever that means) degree of oxidation - almost black (red). No astringency at all, even at the end of many steeps. Persistent fragrance, rich and balanced taste. I'd consider this an oolong, with the full range of DJ desirable characteristics but minus any harsh notes. Also seems to be exceptionally fresh, or perhaps this style of tea holds much better than greener DJs.

Rohini Pearls. Same general profile, but extremely rich, in the same way as but more than any dian hong I've tasted. Kind of like a serious Irish stout: to be treated with respect, and more as food than drink.

Rohini Autumnal Flush #245. same general profile as those Pearls, but sharper, like the difference between "ordinary" late-harvest wines and the great good acid balance of the great ones. Greener and more flowery, too. Leaf very attractive in many colors.

Gopaldhara Red Thunder #215, To my mouth, much more like the Enigma. A little more toward the rich side, with with fresh (citrus?) notes to balance.

Rohini Silver Thunder. Similar to the common-or-garden white-tea profile, but with many interesting notes that I'd associate with DJ. I don't know how to label that sharp fruitiness, but it's a bit like the difference between gewurtztraminer and riesling.

Gopaldhara White Norbu. Unusually toned silver needles - almost blue. I found the first two steeps to have a classic "white peony" aroma and taste, which then changed into what I've experienced with many silver needles. An unusual concatenation, and a good example of why it's so much more fun to do many little steeps instead of one big one. In fact, I'd say that this is one of the most pronounced flavor changes I've experienced in any tea.

Such a spectrum of new individual notes and synaesthesias; might have a completely different experience on re-tasting. I'll welcome others' experiences.

Caveat: I was advised that many of these are from small lots, and that a given invoice may not be available for re-order. I'm hoping that the converse also holds: that there will be a rapid emergence of new delights.

-DM

Good day,

I have had the good fortune to taste some of these teas and I must agree they are some fine examples of Oolong processing. The same group of estates also produce a higher elevation tea under the Avongrove name. Worth checking out if you have time. Great flavours of a beautiful part of the world. A quick search of the internet with the names mentioned will show up the producers website.

James @ wanlingteahouse.com

Hi Dean, Darjeeling lady doesnt have a website.. but I m contacting with her... i will receive some samples from her .. so you are interested .. please email to me...

HI DM, I just read your tea description. it is very interesting... thank you for your precious info ... appreciate a lot