Tea Tasting: Okayati Estate Darjeeling 1st Flush

[Richard Kilgore]

Bill Waddington at Tea Source has contributed an Okayati Estate Darjeeling 1st Flush for this Tea Tasting discussion. He provided 10 gram samples for me and three more eG Society members. Each sample is enough to make about four cups of first infusion tea.

The three free samples are available to members who 1) will do at least two brewing sessions from the sample, 2) will report on their experience and participate in the discussion, and 3) who have previously posted at least ten (10) substantive posts (questions, answers, comments that add to discussions) in the Coffee and Tea forum.

Preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Tuesday August 11, 2009 to those who have not participated in the last two tastings.

As always, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion, whether or not you receive a sample.

So, please PM me now if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion.

[Richard Kilgore]

Just a reminder that preference for the free tea samples will be given to members who have not participated in the last two Tea Tasting Discussions....until midnight Tuesday.

Please see the first post and PM me if you are interested.

[Richard Kilgore]

Bill Waddington at Tea Source has contributed an Okayati Estate Darjeeling 1st Flush for this Tea Tasting discussion. He provided 10 gram samples for me and three more eG Society members. Each sample is enough to make about four cups of first infusion tea.

The three free samples are available to members who 1) will do at least two brewing sessions from the sample, 2) will report on their experience and participate in the discussion, and 3) who have previously posted at least ten (10) substantive posts (questions, answers, comments that add to discussions) in the Coffee and Tea forum.

Preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Tuesday August 11, 2009 to those who have not participated in the last two tastings.

As always, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion, whether or not you receive a sample.

So, please PM me now if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion.

←

The three free samples are now available to all members, including those who participated in the last two Tea Tasting Discussions. If you are interested, please review the first post and send me a PM.

[Richard Kilgore]

Only one free sample left. PM me if you are interested.

[Richard Kilgore]

One sample left of this Okayato Estate 1st Flush Darjeeling from teasource.com. Please review the first post and PM me if you are interested.

[Richard Kilgore]

The three free samples of Okayato Estate 1st Flush Darjeeling contributed by Bill Waddington at teasource.com go to ---

* baroness

* Yajna Patni

* cdh

[cdh]

Received and have brewed once. Will report on thoughts after a second brewing. Tomorrow seems a rainy day suited for tea consumption, follow up will likely happen then.

[cdh]

Ok. Initial observations-

Visually it looks like a darjeeling, with the standard uneven coloring and wiry appearance.

Dry aroma begins with the characteristic papery note of very young darjeelings, and then segues into a more floral and earthy aromatic space. Upon a bit of reflection, I'd say there is a very strong suggestion of geranium flowers in the aroma.

Brew 1: 2.5g of tea in my black-tea-making 250ml yixing, with water from the steam wand of the espresso machine set to steam mode and fully heated up. Brewed for 3 minutes. Initial aroma is malty, more in the Assam vein than I'd expect from a darj. Initial flavor shows a bit of the young darj paperiness, followed by a woodiness, followed by the expected astringent tail. The floral aroma isn't expressing itself in the cup. (or maybe it is being overpowered by the bartlet pear I just ate.)

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks for the detailed notes, Chris. I tried drinking this tea too close to my gyokuro explorations and it is not a pleasant mix. I'll give the Darjeeling a better chance in the next day or so.

[Yajna Patni]

SOrry this has taken so long... aside from being really busy, i will admit to hating this new format, and have been staying away from egullet.

I loved this tea. I brewed it first with half the tea in the sample package, and one pot of water, which holds about a mug and a half.

I used on the boil water, and brewed for two minutes, i poured a little and tasted. much too weak for my taste, but i wanted to see if i could taste any difference with this and a stronger brew.I left the rest to brew a few more minutes, and could detect no really different notes. But I did like the stronger brew better.

I tasted no malt at all. a very flowery flavour the great white winey tang i am used to from a good Darjeeling., with the lightness of a first flush. I left the leaves in for another few minutes to make a brew more to my liking, and added, horrors i know, a splash of milk. this took the edge of the astringency.

I really really liked it. I found it very light and flowery. I will go back and see if i can taste the geranium.

Edited September 23, 2009 by Yajna Patni (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

It's interesting that cdh finds an Assam-like malty note and Yajna Patni does not. Yixing retains flavors so I wonder if you have brewed any Assams or malty Chinese red teas in yours, Chris?

[cdh]

Indeed. I have made Assams in the same pot. Interesting that only the aroma carries over. No hints of malt in the flavor, but in the nose it is front and center. Will have to try brewing in a stainless vessel to eliminate carryover.

[Richard Kilgore]

Today I brewed this first flush Darjeeling with 3.0 g leaf to about 7 ounces of water for a 2 minute first infussion and a 4 minute second infusion. Both floral-winey, hint of sweet with a bit of bright astringency, the flavor becoming fuller as the tea liquor cools. I'll brew this again soon.

[baroness]

First brew: One of my BeeHouse pots with approx. 2.5 grams of leaves. Boiling Brita-filtered NYC water, brewed for 4 minutes. The aroma was similar to that of green teas, and the tea was fairly pale in color. I find this quite astringent; perhaps a shorter brew would alleviate this quality. Overall, I'm not too fond of this tea; I am more a Nilgiri and Assam drinker.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yes, shorter is a good idea. The packet says 2 - 4 minutes and I have been doing 2 for the first infusion and 4 for the second. There is still some astringency, but I think you'll find it is noticeably less. Also, you may prefer a second flush darjeeling over a first flush.

[baroness]

Today, I steeped for 2 minutes.

It did decrease the astringency dramatically; unfortunately it decreased the aroma and overall taste as well.

As you advise, a 2nd flush may be more 'MY cup of tea'

[Richard Kilgore]

This brings up an interesting point, in terms of the differences between Darjeeling Spring, Summer and Autumn flushes. I'll try to arrange another Tasting & Discussion later in which we can compare all three.

[Richard Kilgore]

Indeed. I have made Assams in the same pot. Interesting that only the aroma carries over. No hints of malt in the flavor, but in the nose it is front and center. Will have to try brewing in a stainless vessel to eliminate carryover.

I'm interested to find out what you discovered, Chris.

[Yajna Patni]

I have no milk in the house so am about to brew the last half of my darjeeling slightly weak to drink it like it is supposed to be. i will report back.

[Yajna Patni]

So finally..... brewed it with the minutes on the little package, 2 minutes perhaps? boiling water, in my regular tea pot, glazed pottery cheap from China town.

Very very little astringency, and the winey floral notes really sang. I tend to be more of a second flush type, but i could really appreciate the delicate flowery tang of this. Not too sweet. The color was the pale color that darjeelings tend to be, (and the reason i tend to add a bit of the brook bond red label to the cheaper darjs)

Definatly i found this delicious, but not too high in caffeine.

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks to everyone for participating and to Bill Waddington at teasource.com Tea Source for providing the samples of this Okayati Estate Darjeeling 1st Flush. As usual we have a variety of responses to the teas we try in these Tea Tasting & Discussions. Personal taste buds interact not only with the tea leaf, but a variety of brewing methods.

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