Makaibari...

I actually normally only go for the second flush DJ's, I'm not much for the 1st flushes unless it is a particularly noteworthy year... of which we haven't seen lately nor looking good going forward. You can never go wrong with Makaibari. I didn't purchase any 06 2nd flush for myself but I did have some on two occasions and enjoyed it a lot. I wasn't really into any of the TKY's I bought this year, so sencha, young hyson and Pu-erh have been my standby's so far. Looks like you got a nice variety to enjoy.

- Dominic

Sorry to say this, but you can go wrong with Makaibari. When I was in India last year, I saw - and tasted - some low-grade Makaibari tea packaged under the Apoorva brand without any indication of when it was harvested. I haven't seen this stuff for sale in the West, though.

/Lew

Makaibari, ahh that brings up memories. Just let´s remember that Makaibari is one of the largest DJ estates, and as with ALL those other gardens [even the big names] the major part of their harvested leaves isn´t really worth mentioning qualitywise and ends up in name- and lifeless blends and -yuk-teabags.

BTW, the latest shipment still hasn´t made it here, so darjeel> Sorry to say this, but you can go wrong with Makaibari. When I was in

Lew, we had that Apoorva thing before. I remember you didn´t like those broken leaves too much, me still thinks of it as a nice bold breakfast tea, at least the fresher stuff I had the pleasure to drink over the years. One Makaibari I personally dislike is their steamed green, that one you can get all over Darjeeling, wrapped in aluminized paper sporting bright green stickers - IMO as boring as it gets.

Karsten [2006 Lingia FF in der Tasse]

Hey, Karsten, it's great to hear your voice again!

A few weeks ago I sat in Assam bar by the Frauenkirche in München drinking Castleton 2006 FF. (If I remember correctly, that isn't exactly your part of the country, but...)

About the Apoorva: Sure goodness is a judgment for the mouth to make, but anyone who drinks the stuff expecting something like a Makaibari year-stamped FF or 2F is going to be ... surprised?

/Lew

But the Apoorva is not labeled "Makaibari" which was my point, that is why it is labled "Apoorva." As with anything, sure there can be different grades and quality but on the whole I still can't see taking Lipton or Tetley over even the fanings of Makaibari.

- Dominic

But it's labeled *both* Apoorva and Makaibari. Had it not been labeled Makaibari, I wouldn't have given it a second thought when I first tasted it and disliked it.

I don't believe I compared Apoorva to U.S. supermarket teas. A cup-to-cup test against, say, the Lipton label teas you see in India and in U.S. shops catering to South Asians might be interesting. As for "different grades and quality", that was my original point, I think. I'm surprised that it aroused controversy.

/Lew

Hi Lew, good to "see" you again too !

I googled for the original post, where you grabbed your Apoorva in Kolkata and the package didn´t reveal anything on how old it might have been at that time. That might have been the reason you didn´t like it too much. Pretty much the same situation all over the state [e.g. DJ], some of those

Dominic, walking all those stairs down to Darjeeling bazaar you´d be amazed as to how bad Darjeelings - and Assams - can taste, if there´s any taste left at all. I´m talking about teas that sell for 50-100 IRp a kilogram (fresh leave sells between ~15-30 IRp/kg). That doesn´t leave much space for plucking and processing, not to mention your dealers percentage. Amazingly some of that stuff has a wonderful appearance, something I mentioned some time ago. And then all those millions of kg of leaves that end up in campaign teas. Give me 100g of that Apoorva I used to know and drink over 1000g of those "Darjeeling" campaign teas they sell over here any day of the week.

Karsten [time to hit the sack]

Lewis Per>

No, no controversy... it was just that in reference to the OP I was mainly trying to say that you really can't go wrong with Makaibari... sure it is a generalization and I'm sure there is poorer Makaibari but it is still "good" and better than the most base teas. For many of us, yes, a Maki FF, 2ndF, Castleton, Margaret's Hope, etc. is the only tea we would seriously consider in this area but for someone just starting out a basic easy to understand rule of thumb would be Makaibari =good. Which is basically what she was asking.

I just know that we can get into more detail than needed at times and this can be daunting for a newcomer like the OP, I was just trying to keep it simple :) No worries.

- Dominic

I think Lipton Green Label is pretty good Darjeeling blend (consistent, cheap compared to mail-order).

Ahh, look what I've gone and done... I've riled up the natives. Sure I love Lipton green label too, in fact I keep a box of loose at home and work. It is a great cheap DJ. But the OP was speaking about buying tea online from vendors and I believe just wanted some basic advice if Makaibari was a good bet.

I was purposefully keeping my reply simplistic, and yes, I left out many teas and made some generalizations... but I swear it was for the greater good. See what happens when you try to give a simple answer :)

- Dominic

Hey Karsten,

By all means you are the expert... but as I said a couple times I was just giving a simple answer to a pretty simple question so as not to confuse the issue to someone new to DJ's and Makaibari. If she were on the streets in the markets, I'm sure she would run up against this, but from a computer chair ordering online anytime you see the name "Makaibari" it is a pretty safe bet over say "Punjab's super-duper really good monkey picked exclusive blend DJ" that costs $4.00 a lb.

Honestly, I was just trying to help a newbie out and being purposefully simplistic in my answer... my bad ;) But, since you popped into this thread I'm sure a few suggestions of good DJ's beyond my few names I've tossed out wouldn't hurt coming straight from the horses mouth :) I know you like the muscatels, and I always enjoy buying whatever you say is good at the moment, I'm sure the OP would too.

- Dominic

snip snip snippity snip snip snip

Hey Karsen,

I'ts interesting to me that a "steamed green" is popular enough to sell" all over Darjeeling." Boy, have things changed in the world during the 40 years I was a sleep. So real green tea has taking off there? (I don't mean to imply that it is good green tea.)

Still drinking the 1980's Ti Lo Han, which holds up beautifully. Lovely tea, it is.

Michael

I, too, can't imagine anyone in India drinking green tea. Except maybe expatriates who are re-locating back from the West..

I moved the other way back (From Calcutta to Ohio) and I am sticking to black DJ's.

That's Karsten. I'm sorry! Shouldn't butcher people's names. Michael

Hey Dominic, again that´s a tough one. I´ve sampled SH..loads of really BAD Maks, Castletons, Rohinis, you name them, over the years. The secret that makes Castleton Castleton (and the other "top" players) mainly lies in excellent management and quality control over the decades, not in those leaves alone. Even at Castleton´s sometime the final firing or other steps during manufacturing go wrong (don´t get p...ed at me P. :-), but again the next batch WILL be better. Please understand that only about 10-15% of their crop qualifies as high-quality tea, with only around 5% of their leaves being top notch, the stuff that brings in real money. These days in DJ you see managers come and go and quality go up and down, not to speak of the weather (see 2006 FF). Then there are seasonal aspects. Let´s stick with Castleton. They´re not exactly known for their First Flush ... Hence when it comes to recommending teas by their names it gets really difficult. I totally agree with Lew, Michael, and the others on that "Know thy vendor" mantra. So to answer your question somewhat more forward, yes Makaibari is up there, Rajiv Banerjee is one hell of a tea manager, two-three years ago they dethroned Castleton´s SF Muscatel in Kolkata with some white tips AND they´re 100% organic. Me still thinks that with DJs most of the time you get what you pay for (main xception in bad FF seasons) so if you want a "good" Mak or any other top-notch DJ, you won´t get it for cheap.

I´m still waiting for some other samples from DJ, they´re long overdue. I´ll report back when they arrive. AFAIR I mentioned the Lingia SF muscatel yesterday.

PS: I´m still stuck in Germania, yikes, my grandmother is recovering from a minor stroke and I just can´t leave her alone.

Karsten [next in cup: 2006 DJ FF oolong gongafua]

Hey Michael, IMO that´s directed towards tourists, indians and westerners, not the locals. They´re married with chai.

Ti Lo Han, aahh. From the 80s ??? Mind describing it a bit. Did you reroast the leaves ? How did you store them ?

Karsten

On the subject of Makaibari, I e-mailed them (off their web site) for the address of their distributer in Calcutta. I got a prompt reply from Rajah Banerjee!!

I'll be in Calcutta in Aug-Sept and will try to pick up their expensive products (hopefully cheaper direct from them, paid in Rupees).

I store the leaves as carefully and airtight as I can manage, but it isn't that critical since these teas definitely benefit from a bit of air. In fact, all WuYi teas seem to like a bit of age, even if it's just a few months after arrival. They do suffer from jet lag.

Try as I might, WuYi teas, while I like them, will never make my top five list. Ti Lo Han is something of an exception. I have tasted wonderful Shui Xians (sp?), but usually brewed by others; I just don't seem to get it. Usually, they pall. Too bad. Probably too many Chinese restaurants and too much hype killed them for me.

Enough nattering after your simple and straight forward question.

Best, Michael

Michael

A friend sent me some, and it wasn't bad. I'm not a fan of the newer style Darjeelings but I thought it had a nice scent to it, while being more robust than typical of Darjeeling these days.

--scott