Gopaldhara Everest Orchid Black and Rare Muscatel Gold (Darjeeling)

More great Gopaldhara Darjeeling!  I won't say much about them or other background since lots of posts have done that, and mostly just describe trying two more really nice versions.  

I have some spring and white tea versions that look even more novel and interesting (many thanks to Rishi for sharing samples to try), but we're in the middle of a cold snap in Bangkok (down to 20 C or so at night, finally into the 60s F here).  It's too cold for lighter teas, probably about time I try out making a batch of masala chai again.  This weather has been perfect for running, a subject I wrote a bit about here recently.

 

Gopaldhara Everest Orchid – Second Flush 2021

This amazing and rare second flush black tea from Gopaldhara Tea Estate is one of the best muscatel black tea in Darjeeling hills, made by AV2 bushes. The tea is expertly fully oxidized to extract all the flavour. It takes a lot of different processes to oxidize, without crushing and cutting the leaf.

This rare second flush black tea has brownish dry leaves with abundant golden tips that brew into a red aromatic liquor. You will find a honey-sweet and very well-rounded muscatel finish with the notes of ripe fruits, almost like red wine. This tea is very clean with absolutely no hints of astringency and harshness.

It has astringency in the sense of feel structure but not harshness, so that last part works.  It's cool that I just read that description during the final post edit, after adding pictures to the notes, with their description and mine both mentioning red wine.  I said that it tastes more like brandy to me, but had even mentioned that the effect could be interpreted as either red wine or brandy.  It must seem like I go back and change the notes instead.

Gopaldhara Rare Muscatel Gold – Second Flush 2021

It is a tippy tea made from more than 130 years old high-quality china bushes planted by the British. It brews into a rich orange cup which gives abundant sweet muscatel character and mouthful flavor with a woody taste and notes of ripe fruits. It is a dense tea and is well layered. It is very smooth to drink and is not astringency is not apparent. It is definitely one of the best second flush produced by Gopaldhara Tea Estate from the old bushes. You will like it more if you like the old-style Muscatel tea from Chinary bushes.

That last part is a reference to how some standard tea plant types used in Darjeeling are relatively directly derived from Chinese tea plants, and some are hybrids of variety Sinensis and Assamica.  I was thinking that AV2 was a hybrid, variety Sinensis mixed with Assamica genetic input, but it may not be simple whether it is or not.  This research paper covers how it really is a variety Sinensis tea (a "Chinese type," as it's sometimes described), but what they mean in discussing genetic variation I'm not clear on.  

I suppose it doesn't matter; information about the inputs can be interesting, about plant types, elevation, or processing steps, but the results are the thing, described as follows.  AV2 plant type versions tend to have a distinctive and refined character, and that's the mapping that matters, one that can help you set expectations.

Review:

Everest Orchid Black:  very nice, of course.  It's typical black tea, fully oxidized, in the normal flavor and feel range, which is pleasant.  Warm tones and fruit are primary.  Fruit seems to include citrus but a main flavor is more like dried dark cherry, which is really nice.  With the other warm tones including cocoa this is as close to a chocolate covered cherry as a tea will ever naturally be.  It has astringency and feel structure related to the warm tone flavor range (earthy and including warm mineral), but it balances well.

This reminds me of seeing a Reddit post about how a Marriages Freres flavored tea is the best black tea in the world, their seemingly standard "Marco Polo" version.  How could that be, based on what I've just experienced and said?  This tea I've not even dialed in for infusion strength yet, and it's just getting started, but these are well-balanced, refined, very pleasant natural flavors, derived from exceptional tea plant material (related to plant genetics and growing conditions), being processed in a relatively optimum way.  

I don't know what that "Marco Polo" tea is.  From looking at a few references online, including the Marriages Freres web page, it's not clear what country the tea leaves are from, or what the flavoring is, seemingly just "floral and fruit."  Responding to a post like that I commented that while the tea probably is good that tea experience is broad, and no matter what one experiences it's always too soon to say that you have already covered the full scope.

Rare Muscatel Gold:  this tea is very subtle compared to the other; it will take longer to "get going." I used a greater volume than for the other but it probably will work out to very similar wet leaves volume after a few more rounds.  This version will probably prove more durable, brewing out slower, rather than it having less flavor to offer than the other.  The other tea will extract much faster for being fine leaves with less buds, and it was brewed at double the infusion strength level of this one using the same timing.  I won't adjust timing by offsetting what I use for both just yet, just doing a fast round next time and seeing if that is necessary.

This is softer for being much lighter, and it lacks the warm earthy tone range the other had.  There's a nice sweetness, not completely unlike the cocoa / cacao flavor in the other, but spanning that and also malt range.  Honey flavor also comes across in the sweetness, and it seems like other subtle flavor tones will develop from starting points that are a bit vague so far, maybe light floral and spice.  It should develop to fruit as well, which I'm not really noticing yet.  It's as well to describe that more after another round instead.

Everest Orchid Black second infusion:  even more floral, with more flavor depth, but astringency did ramp up too.  I brewed this fast, the way that you moderate astringency using this brewing approach, but it could've been all but a flash brew instead and flavor intensity would seemingly still be fine.  It did brew for 10 seconds or less, more or less a standard approach for sheng or oolong versions, kind of fast for black teas prepared this way, but adjusting timing for results instead of type is standard.

The feel is cool, rich and syrupy.  There's a bit of dryness too but not so much that it's all that negative.  That "warm mineral" flavor is so intense and distinct that it's in between ink and brandy.  There's a lot going on in this tea, with the earlier fruit and cacao still present, but floral range (rich like rose) and warm tones ramping up.  The brandy part one might interpret as closer to a red wine, but to me it's definitely closer to brandy.  I suppose the astringency and touch of sour / bitter effect that results from feel mapping over to flavor range is somewhat negative, just really moderate, and not entirely negative, since it provides a base for the rest.  That is exactly the feel aspect that people identify as bitterness, when really it's not that, it just comes across in a similar way.  Here it's more an addition of feel structure than a pronounced roughness though, lighter and in good balance.  It's quite good.

Rare Muscatel Gold:  it's interesting trying these together for there being no related astringency at all in this version, at the opposite extreme.  It probably makes the first seem a little rougher and this version seem even smoother, or maybe even thin, in one sense.  After hundreds of comparison tastings it's no problem tasting dissimilar tea versions, and I can separate the effects just fine.  Fruit does ramp up in this, as expected.  Intensity does too, but it's subtle.  The feel for this is rich and creamy, intense in a very mild and distinct form.  

Back to flavor, citrus picks up as dried orange peel.  There's a mild but sweet and rich tone that one might connect with butter or caramel.  I still get a sense that mild and non-distinct floral range is filling in complexity, that something along the line of chrysanthemum is giving this the effect of greater intensity and depth, even though it's hard to isolate.  It's not that far off a mild root spice range, in between sassafras and ginseng, so pegging it as that instead would make sense. 

It probably will make sense to stick with a fast infusion for the first tea and go a bit longer for this one; I'll try that next round.  Longer here only means 15-20 seconds, which is an extended time for this high proportion.  Judging from still partly wetted leaves there is slightly more material in the first sample; guessing out completely different forms of leaves should result in that more than it typically does.  The first sample will be 90% full or so unfurled and this only 80-some.

Everest third infusion:  it's interesting how that warm mineral tone, astringency, dryness, and complex flavor range all balance together.  For someone into conventional black teas this would be just perfect, better than anything remotely standard, never mind comparisons to flavored teas.  For a mild Chinese black tea drinker it might be a bit much, that edge.  I can easily appreciate it for what it is, but I suppose the milder and varied flavor set in typical Dian Hong (Yunnan) is still a better match to my preference, teas that can be fruity but often build on a cool roasted yam or sweet potato base, with dried fruit or cocoa flavors complementing and layering on top of that.  For the style this tea is it's just perfect; it's important to give credit where credit is due.  If warm tones and astringency could back off just a little it might be slightly better, to me, but it's already as high quality, complex, refined, and balanced an example as it can be, so that's more a comment about style than quality level.

Muscatel Gold:  more of the same.  I don't want to overstate how slight shifts in balance come across in this; the flavors I mentioned will change in proportion over rounds, and eventually one or two more will join that set.  This does live up to the name "muscatel" but it's a mild version of it, closer to citrus fruit than the rest of what muscatel tends to mean (towards grape or grape based liquor).

Conclusions:

I left off taking notes there, for whatever reason, but I did drink a number of additional positive infusions.  It can be hard to do hour long tasting sessions on busy weekend mornings and for teas that tend to evolve and transition less (black teas or even oolongs in comparison with sheng, mostly) three rounds is enough to describe where it's going.

The subject of trying two very dissimilar sheng versions reminded me of how it might be interesting to mix these two teas, to try them as a blend.  I don't remember if I actually did or not, but I think so.  I really prefer experiencing narrower range of aspects, not appreciating the trade-off of greater balance of character that comes at the cost of muddling together a range of distinctive aspects.  For teas with more in the way of flaws that's something else; it would help a lot to mix inputs to work around problematic astringency or unbalanced flavors, or thinness across some range, like a lack of sweetness.  In one sense mixing these two teas would pull both towards more of a middle range for style, mixing the light body of one and higher level of feel structure of the other, for example, but the distinctiveness would be lost.

Cindy, of Wuyi Origin, a Wuyishan oolong and black tea producer, sent some Jin Jun Mei to try, the style of which overlaps a little with this Muscatel Gold version.  Only so much; I'm not saying this tasted or seemed like JJM.  That light body, touch of creaminess versus structure, and subtle flavor range are what I mean.  I don't know how well I can hold an impression of this tea in memory for weeks but I can say more about parallels whenever I try that.

perfect weather for riding bikes at a local replica park, in Ancient Siam

I did eventually tighten up her bike helmet strap for her

Gopaldhara Thor and Maharaja of Darjeeling (second flush)

 

Thor left, Maharaja of Darjeeling right, in all photos

Trying two additional teas from the set sent by Gopaldhara, really more for sharing than review, but both.  Thanks to them again for that!

There isn't much background to pass on so I'll introduce these teas with their descriptions and then include tasting notes here, largely as I wrote them prior to seeing any description, beyond the tea name and type.

Gopaldhara Gold (Thor) – Rare Hand Rolled Second Flush 2021

Gopaldhara Gold (Thor) is one of the best second flush teas in the Darjeeling hills, made by AV2 bushes. The tea is extremely full and expertly fully oxidized to extract all the flavor. It takes a lot of different processes to oxidize, without crushing and cutting the leaf. Every time you crush and cut the leaf you introduce harshness to the cup. This tea is very clean with absolutely no hints of astringency and harshness. It is honey-sweet with a very well-rounded Muscatel finish and notes of ripe fruits. It has been the best lot in the second flush muscatel category.

It is 100% handpicked with no machinery involved. The garden workers are very careful in their plucking to make sure only the best shoots with prominent buds are plucked. The top elevation of Gopaldhara Tea Estate which stretches up to 5500-7000 Ft is planted with the best quality AV2 bushes, the most preferred clones in Darjeeling.

That pretty much matches the description that follows, with a bit more on experienced aspects, with a lot implied about moderate oxidation level as an input, but not explicitly discussed.  They list the oxidation level as "semi-oxidized" on a table of information along with that text.

Gopaldhara Maharaja of Darjeeling – Second Flush Muscatel 2021

Maharaja of Darjeeling is one of the best second flush teas in the Darjeeling hills, made by AV2 bushes... 

It is 100% handpicked with no machinery involved. The garden workers are very careful in their plucking to make sure only the best shoots with prominent buds are plucked. The top elevation of Gopaldhara Tea Estate which stretches up to 5500-7000 Ft is planted with the best quality AV2 bushes, the most preferred clones in Darjeeling.

..It brews into a very bright orange and clear cup having smooth fruity taste and muscatel character. The finish is long, honey sweet & captivating... 

These notes don't say anything about that whole-leaf issue, which I've went into before.  This version seems slightly more oxidized than the "Thor" but it also lists as "semi-oxidized," which would span a range.

Thor left, Maharaj right

Review:

Thor:  lighter than the other; it looks like I got proportion slightly wrong (not identical), and this version is significantly less oxidized than the other.  It's lighter in flavor than I expected, which I take to be needing a round to get going.  The character it does show is just great, as usual.  It's smooth and rich, complex, with good sweetness, and only positive aspects.  The range is warm, like rich scented flowers and dried fruit, with a bit of extra earthiness adding depth.  Probably it will all shift a bit by the time I get to a fuller flavor list description next round, but I'll hold off on details until then.

Maharaja:  completely different; that should make this interesting.  Even for being a somewhat light initial round astringency edge stands out in this, a pleasant feel structure and dryness.  In that sense it's much closer to a conventional black tea.  Flavor complexity is also evident, just in a warmer range.  Where the other might have included dried apricot this is more like date, which I'll clarify more in the listing next round.

I'm tasting this outside (it's too loud in the house, with the television blaring and my wife yelling at the kids, our normal routine) and that earthy edge is from a scent from the garden; interesting that doesn't come up more.  It seemed faint and in the background at first but my wife's mother is watering the garden now, and it's easier to flag.  It shouldn't throw things off.

Thor, second infusion:  this is a really interesting style.  It's listed as a second flush tea but it's really in between what I'm accustomed to in first and second flush character, a lot lighter and brighter than second flush usually is, probably mainly due to being lower in oxidation level.  Smoothness and richness stands out, and usually those are the kinds of things you notice second, after flavor and astringency edge.  It has some of that bright, fresh character of first flush Darjeeling, that bright floral range, and also some of the warmer richness of second flush, leading into heavier flavors.  It settles into a range like bright sweet fruit, like dried apricot, and complex floral range that's in the middle, not bright and light or warm, heavy, and rich, but balanced in the middle.  It's a cool effect.

Astringency is limited but that is what's giving it that rich and full feel.  Dried apricot and complex floral doesn't seem like enough of a flavor list, for how complex the flavor range is.  Some warm mineral base adds to the effect of complexity, and beyond that it's hard to "split apart" the fruit and floral range further, which I'll get back to next round.

Maharaja:  I went a little faster on this version this round and the brewed intensity level balances.  For both these teas you get a sense of a lot of complexity and balance along with the initial impression; they're refined, and have a lot going on.  I tried a tea not long ago that I thought was quite pleasant but it seemed like part of the normal range was missing, as if there was a gap in complexity across some aspect range, which was hard to pin down or describe.  The effect with these is the opposite, that they are not only covering a complex range but are also quite intense, refined, and well-balanced across the entire range.

Back to that flavor list:  citrus stands out.  Maybe this is related to muscatel, maybe not; I've been questioning what that even means.  I take it to be exactly that, a citrus-like range of heavy flavor that leans a bit towards grape and brandy.  Warm, rich fruit seems to fill in beyond that, not in a form that's easy to identify.  That early guess of date isn't too far off, although maybe closer to dried Chinese date than the Middle Eastern version more familiar in "the West."  

I think Chinese dates, jubube, is really a category, not a single fruit, with dried versions seeming much different than fresh ones.  Interpreting this as closer to dried longan would also work, not that the description would add much for American readers.  I just had one of my favorite deserts yesterday, a Chinese ice and beans dish, that includes both dried Chinese date and dried longan juice (and a mix of beans, and dried candied lotus root; it's so nice).  Maybe that's influencing this general warm dried fruit range interpretation. To me it all leans a bit towards cocoa but that's not it.

Thor, third infusion:  honey flavor and sweetness bumped up a good bit.  I suppose it tasted a bit like honey before too, filling in that rich flavor effect, but it's hard to miss in this round.  That other flavor is pretty close to dried apricot but that may well not be it.  It's harder to identify for so much rich, mid-range floral tone filling in as well.  A bit of citrus edge supports it, as does a warm mineral tone.  

It all integrates so well that it doesn't come across as that set of things at all, but as one unified experience.  Breaking it down to parts almost adds error, describing it in a way that it really doesn't come across.  Some of that fruitiness isn't far off a bubble-gum flavor, the non-distinct pink cube kind, Bubbalicious and such.  It's more refined than that description probably makes it sound.

Maharaja:  this is great for tasting like one would expect from second flush Darjeeling, maybe just projected in a better form than is typical.  The flavor complexity, in particular fruit edge, intensity, feel structure, and slight edge all balance perfectly.  Where the other is cool for being something novel this is great for being a better version of something familiar than is familiar.  The flavors are so complex that the right person could just keep on free-associating, and no interpretation would necessarily be wrong.  

I'm noticing more raisin in this round, and a hint of cinnamon spice.  It's impossible to describe the effect of those warm tones being offset by lighter fruit and floral range, then balancing with just the right amount of feel structure.  It's a higher level effect, one that emerges from all the other layers of experience.

Even though these are great teas, and are evolving, I'll probably do one more round with detailed notes and a second I barely mention and move on with my morning, now almost onto afternoon.  Ten small cups of tea is about my normal dose but it's really about demands on my time, things to do.

Thor, fourth infusion:  more of the same; the last description still works.  Balance and overall pleasantness really stands out, which I think I've covered enough.

Maharaja:  the same is true of this version, that it hasn't shifted enough to warrant a new description, and that I've already went on and on about the complexity and layers of aspects working well together.  

Conclusions:

Really nice teas, just different in character.  I think citrus changed form and picked up even more for the Maharaja over the next couple of rounds.  The Thor stayed relatively consistent, with a nice toffee flavor picking up in place of the honey, and brewed a good bit more pleasant tea.

Even though throwing 3 grams of either of these in an infuser basket for two somewhat intense brewed rounds wouldn't really optimize results these both would work ok that way.  The warmer tones of the Maharaja, as a more conventional black tea, with slightly more edge and feel structure, seems better suited for a breakfast tea role to me.  

These two teas stood out for being complex, well-defined, refined, and well-balanced.  That doesn't necessarily come across as intensity, but it all adds a fullness to the experience, an extra dimension, beyond novel and positive flavor range already doing that.  There was nothing negative to balance out or brew around; that helps too.  

I didn't really mention aftertaste effect for these I'm reviewing, and it's not something that stands out, although there was something to that.  Feel was nice for both these teas, in two different ways, just with moderate "structure" effect, full but still on the soft side.  

As I see it Darjeeling of this quality level are underappreciated in "tea circles," because they're not usually this good, or this isn't the most typical character / style.  Someone could drink Darjeeling for decades and not have any idea that this general style for this "Thor" version even exists, never mind experiencing and appreciating this degree of success in a version in this style.  Maybe it just didn't exist 5 years ago; that seems quite likely to me.  

I'm not sure that Western style brewing would really bring across just how good this tea is; shifting brewing style over to the Chinese Gongfu approach probably draws out extra potential.  It would be possible to notice that these are better than conventional Darjeeling prepared Western style, and a really dialed-in Western brewing approach probably would get most of the potential out of them.

Gopaldhara Indian Oriental Oolong and Honey Oolong

Oriental oolong left, Honey oolong right

I'm trying more of the teas sent by Gopaldhara for review, moving on from some more standard versions to two branded as types of oolongs.  This last post had covered two exceptional second flush examples, and this earlier one both a first and a second.  It was all great, but these should be a little less standard in type.

Per what I've tried in the past Indian oolongs aren't so close to Chinese versions in character, but I tend to not get hung up on categories or labels, or expectations in general.  The experience of the tea is the thing; that part works or it doesn't.  Keeping this simple, onto vendor descriptions and review notes:

Rohini Oriental Summer Oolong – Second Flush 2020 

This is a rare and finest Summer Tea or Second Flush oolong tea prepared from high-quality 144 clones at Rohini Tea Estate. The month of May is very interesting for low to mid-elevations in Darjeeling. Growth is very slow and the weather is quite dry, not too much rain. Good temperature and low humidity. It is a period of slow growth and also coincides with greenfly attack. It leads to stunted growth. You can say this the perfect condition for making Oolongs. Oolongs are very light delicate teas with complex flavours. They have a very high aroma and superb tastes. The teas are sweet and have a rosy honey-like flavour.

Rohini Summer Honey Oolong – Second Flush 2020

This is one of the finest Summer Tea Second Flush Muscatel Tea prepared from high-quality AV2 bushes at Rohini Tea Estate. This summer oolong consists of brownish-black leaves and few silver tips. It brews into an aromatic bright amber cup with a very smooth flavor without any astringency. The tea has a mouthful sweet and fruity muscatel character with a finish of honey and mango flavor. It has no astringency and is a very compelling make.

Review:

Oriental oolong left, Honey oolong right (in all photos)

Oriental Oolong:  a little light, how a first infusion often goes, related to my own preference for brewing process.  I let this brew a bit over 10 seconds but knew that wouldn't be enough to draw out a conventional infusion strength.  To me that serves as an introduction to the tea, with the second where the real tasting starts.  It's sweet, complex, and pleasant.  It's really not so different than a very mellow second flush version, so far.  Citrus and muscatel stand out, with a lot of that a brighter citrus range than is typical for second flush Darjeeling, but then those can vary a lot.  Oxidation level seems to be in between typical first and second flush ranges; medium.  The feel may well be smoother and "rounder" than is typical for either first of second flush.

Honey Oolong:  that's especially interesting for including a lot of what is very typical Darjeeling range, just a different form of it.  There is citrus along with a vegetal range, like plant stem, but without anywhere near a conventional level of astringency.  Usually that particular flavor range and the strong bite of astringency go together.  This will be more astringent than the other, not surprising given that leaves are a bit more broken and it's a lot greener.  It is nice the way a notable honey aspect joins in with the rest.  This is probably a good bit more floral than the other, with that heavy on citrus fruit.  I'll hold off on a more complete list since it'll be easier to sort out next round.

Second infusion:

Oriental Oolong:  really nice.  Again this could pass for a mild version of a second flush tea, or really maybe as a strong-flavored version of an autumn flush.  The character is mellow in terms of astringency, but the flavor hit is there.  Range isn't so different from better second flush range, citrus and muscatel.  A good bit of floral range adds significant complexity to that.  It's interesting experiencing that intensity with feel being full but soft.  There's just a hint of dryness beyond that fullness, but astringency level is almost lower than would be conceivable for a standard second flush version.  

The dryness indicates that it is closer to a black tea than to a Chinese oolong, as the oxidation level does.  Putting percentages on that doesn't really work well, even though it's standard for some people to do it, but I'd guess this is something like 50-60% oxidized, so not far off Oriental Beauty, but really even lower in level than most versions of that.

Honey Oolong:  the same story as for the other, but related to a shift related to a lower oxidation level.   Oxidation level is not that far off a normal first flush range, it seems (which is comparable to Chinese oolong range; 30% or so, if one must guess at a level).  Again a dryness pairs with the soft feel, but that other's is closer to the dryness in a black tea, and this is the dryness paired with a different feel that seems to associate with a different flavor profile, that vegetal bite.  There's tons of floral complexity to this, a strong hit across a broad range.

Third infusion:

I'll give these less than 10 seconds infusion time; I think I went too light the first round, and too heavy the second, and that should do it, for this proportion.

Oriental Oolong:  much better balance.  That flavor complexity is really nice; reciting a list won't do it justice.  It is just citrus, muscatel, and floral, now evolving to be more floral, with the flower type spanning a broad range.  Doesn't add much, does it?  The warm tone is great, along with the effect of that complexity.  This tastes like a warm version of honey, with the other more like a lighter and citrusy version instead.  Sweetness is great, feel is soft but full, and it really all comes together.

This is definitely not like second flush Darjeeling, in one sense, and in another it's just that.  The feel is in a different place.  That bit of dryness doesn't come across at all this round; it's just smooth and full.  I think that's from dialing in infusion strength and also part of a natural tendency for the first two rounds brewed Gongfu style to have a different kind of astringency.  It's quite good.

Honey Oolong:  same for this; it really hit its stride for being brewed properly and for evolving through some early roughness.  These are far from finished too; they'll be fine for another half dozen rounds.  I won't get far with notes because I've got something else to do though, always the way.

The nice thing about this tea, and to a lesser extent the other, is that if someone really loved that brighter, sweet, floral and honey range relating to less oxidized forms of Darjeeling, but could never completely get past the astringency edge, this has all the positive range covered but none of the latter.  It's strange, drinking it like that.  You can taste that flower-stem flavor range, a hint of it, along with a solid blast of complex floral range, but the normally-associated astringency edge just isn't there.  Even that edge of dryness dropped out, as for the other.

The full effect of roundness and fullness of feel present in Chinese oolongs doesn't come through.  These are soft and a bit full but it's just not the same.  The flavor intensity does carry over to some degree of aftertaste, a continuation of the positive range you taste while drinking them.

Fourth infusion:

Oriental Oolong:  some positive flavor transition is working out; this trails a bit towards spice range.  It's cool that it breaks past being standard second flush aspect range, just without the same astringency concern.  That spice flavor is hard to break down.  It's almost like it borrows a little from a few different versions, a hint of a root spice and bark spice, maybe with just a trace of some seed included.  It's nice that the complexity picked up that much, and the novelty.  It's still covering a decent amount of citrus and floral complexity.  

Honey Oolong:  this version didn't change as much as it all just integrated much better.  That heavy and complex floral range now combines in a much tighter and different way with the "plant stem" effect, which is mellow, as far as both related feel and taste goes.  I didn't "see" it as not-integrated before, but with it all combining in a way that supports an overall experience so much better now I do.  An interpretation of this as fruity instead of floral would make sense this round. 

These are great.  The descriptions won't do the experience justice.  Before this round I was ready to leave off at saying both are like conventional Darjeeling aspect scope, just with a much smoother, fuller astringency effect, and very positive and complex flavor range.  At this stage it's more than that; they integrate better, evolving to be slightly different.  I bet two more rounds would tell more of that story but I've got to run; I never have two full hours to do a full tasting on the weekend mornings.  I can comment further thoughts later, but I'll let the round-by-round note taking drop here.

Conclusions:

These did produce additional very positive infusions but didn't seem to evolve related to aspects changing much.  Within two to three more rounds the intensity and range dropped off, but they were still far from finished.  Stretching out the cycle, using longer times to go through additional rounds, worked out well; character stayed very positive, just more limited.

These are two of the more interesting and positive Darjeeling examples I've experienced.  That second version, the Honey Oolong, is less familiar to me for being oxidized to that lower level, but I vaguely recall trying other versions like that in the past, a long time ago when I was exploring Darjeelings more.  I'm not completely keeping up with Chinese oolongs now for focusing so much on sheng pu'er, never mind Darjeeling, or Assam and Nepal teas, and so on.

These don't seem much like Chinese oolongs to me, but that doesn't detract from how positive they are.  Flavor intensity, complexity, and positive range are really unique for both, and feel and aftertaste work out well.  They're not full and round in feel in the same way Chinese oolongs tend to be, or fruity and floral covering the same scope as Dan Cong, or similar to Wuyi Yancha for integrating roast-related complexity, or cognac or perfume-like character.  But they are both great in their own way.  

If anyone had experienced Darjeeling as very positive in flavor range but had trouble getting past forms of astringency these represent a natural resolution for that.  Even the flavor range, taken alone, is more positive than all but the most exceptional other forms I've ever tried, and the exceptional feel doubles up that positive effect.

On a different subject, I've not been sharing family photos that much lately, not that I get feedback about the omission.

happy 14th anniversary to my loving wife  

Gopaldhara Summer Beauty Muscatel and China Muscatel

 

Summer Beauty left, China Muscatel right, in all photos

I'm trying two more samples from Gopaldhara, after initially reviewing what seemed to be relatively close to classic first and second flush versions in this post.  

I would expect these to be standard second flush range as well, but I'll not check that prior to doing review notes, and will add their descriptions here during editing.  My thinking is that they have been developing some really novel oolong type (or influenced) variations, and one more round of more familiar range will help me reset a baseline before starting on those (from a number of samples provided for review).  I've been more on sheng pu'er for a couple of years, although I never really stop drinking Dian Hong (Yunnan black tea), and I've tried more Thai black tea than I usually get to this year.

The "beauty" part should refer to a link with Oriental Beauty.  Per my understanding there is a natural link between that and second flush Darjeeling anyway, since both pick up additional muscatel and citrus range flavors related to a similar, or potentially identical, insect biting the leaves.

The leaves of this Summer Beauty version look a little different than any Darjeeling I ever remember seeing.  It looks like Oriental Beauty; more whole leaves, a good proportion of bud content, and especially the same color variations, the light tan part, dark brown, and reddish brown colors, all mixed.  The scent is really sweet and fruity as well.  The other looks nice not so broken, more uniformly brown, and also sweet with pronounced muscatel, but the Beauty version seems to lean more towards including both muscatel and a berry range.  This should be interesting.

I'll brew them Gongfu style, letting the times run a little long to account for my most standard tea range, sheng, requiring a lighter touch, but except for planning to let these brew for around 15 seconds instead of 10 it will be the same approach.

Vendor descriptions of the teas (added after review):

I would imagine this is the "China muscatel" version, although I can't be certain:

Gopaldhara Muscatel – Special Darjeeling Black Tea

Gopaldhara Muscatel – Special Darjeeling Black Tea is a pure Darjeeling black tea made by frosted leaves at the highest elevation of Darjeeling tea plantation. This is from more than 150 years old high-quality bushes planted by the British. It is grown at the 7000 ft. of Gopaldhara Tea Estate and processed by the experts... It brews into a rich orange cup that gives abundant sweet, fruity and muscatel flavor. This special Darjeeling black tea gives mouthful and rounded taste to the pallet. 

The cultivar listing "Chinese bushes" would refer to this being a variety Sinensis plant type, versus the often used AV2 cultivar (the background of which I've written about, but it's been awhile).  I would imagine the other tea is this:

Rohini Summer Beauty Muscatel 2020

This is a Second Flush or finest Summer Tea prepared from high quality AV2 bushes. Summer Beauty Muscatel consists of brownish black leaves and few silver tips. It brews into an aromatic bright amber cup with a very smooth flavor without any astringency. The tea has a mouthful sweet and fruity muscatel character with a finish of honey and mango flavor. It has no astringency and is a very compelling make. It is definitely one of the best teas produced by Rohini Tea Estate.

It's interesting how close that marketing description is to my own notes.  If I had read "mango" prior to tasting it I probably would have even been seconding that.  Mango covers a lot of scope; I've been exploring those this year, and although there is a narrow set of flavors that matches the most distinctive mango taste they cover lots of types and range.

Review:

Summer Beauty Muscatel:  that is on the incredible side, even for being a little light, as first infusions almost always are based on how I usually brew teas.  Pleasant citrus range including muscatel extends a lot further than that.  The citrus is also light, to me tasting most like tangerine, but covering some range.  Berry notes do stand out, again a complex range of those, like very fresh blueberry, also towards raspberry.  

This is the probably the closest thing I've tasted to raspberry since I've lived in Thailand, for well over a decade.  Growing up my grandparents (on one side) had a giant raspberry bush; this takes me back.  The other set had a giant blueberry bush, which was more like a patch, as both were; visiting both worked out for eating fruit.  The first also had a pear tree and some unusually rich tasting grapes (a section of vines), and the second a golden apple tree, with strawberries and mint growing in their garden.  I miss that area.

 

China Muscatel:  much warmer; a lot of cinnamon joins the citrus in this.  It includes astringency as well; I almost forgot to notice that the first did not, at all.  The "Beauty" feel and range is exactly like an Oriental Beauty oolong, given the smoothness, depth, and flavor range, and lightness in tone.  The astringency in this is in a nice balance, definitely not harsh, or out of proportion.  Cinnamon stands out more than the muscatel (which is also a soft and complex citrus tone, but not bright like the other).  I wouldn't be surprised if that's just how it works out brewing this tea Gongfu style, the aspect that gets "stripped out" the fasted, but then I also wouldn't be surprised if it hung in there as a main flavor aspect.

Since both of these are brewed a little light there will be more to add in the next round.  Flavor intensity is really good in these infusions, in spite of them being brewed light, but feel and the rest will pick up as it brews while more saturated.  I don't get the sense that moderating astringency would be a factor for either but dialing in an optimum for experiencing them will still apply.

Second infusion:  

I didn't get the amounts exactly identical in these, I think related to not accounting for how long and twisted the Beauty version leaves were, and some of the China version being more broken.  The proportions are so close that it won't change much, and I can guess about what it did change in the notes, how that factors in.  Using two different infusion times would account for that, but that gets tricky.  I'll just pour out the second tea first to adjust process timing by those extra seconds.

Beauty:  earthiness picks up, an underlying light malt range black tea tone.  Fruit still stands out the most, by a lot.  The brightest citrus and berry notes have tapered off just a little, towards warmer, richer tones and other range.  That warm maltiness also leans a little towards cinnamon spice; this is pretty close to Oriental Beauty for character.  There's a faint edge of astringency now that pairs with a light flavor like biting a tree bud (or flower stem, if that's easier to imagine, but it's really tree bud).  Altogether it makes this a complex and pleasant experience.  It covers a lot of range; I suppose it's conceivable that someone could see that as negative, but if so I couldn't relate to that opinion.

That astringency seems to show more towards then end, pairing with a trace of bitterness and mouthfeel tightening as you swallow it and just after.  It's still really soft and rich, as black teas go, still balanced towards being not very astringent at all, but the bit that is there does relate to a standard Darjeeling range, it's just the proportion that's unusual, being that light.

China:  astringency is stronger in this; I think that could also partly relate to being brewed slightly stronger, being based on a higher proportion.  The first Beauty version is at a more ideal infusion strength for these teas.  I'll try a fast infusion next time, more like what I would use for a lot of Chinese teas, and see how that goes.  

I do tend to stretch out timing a bit for Dian Hong, which I do usually also brew Gongfu style.  I last had one of those about two days ago; it's interesting having that close a baseline for another character.  This tea has slightly more of an edge, but that's not the case for the Beauty version, which is full and rich but very soft.  Dian Hong also tend to be really soft in character.  I think that's because they use the trees to make sheng in the spring harvest, then pick more for a much milder summer second harvest version that they use for black tea, then back to sheng in autumn.  Or maybe that's completely wrong; to be clear I'm passing on hearsay here, not well-developed knowledge.  And any given tea producer could do whatever they want.

The cinnamon is still pronounced in this.  I think scaling back time will drop out some astringency, without giving up much for flavor intensity, and this tea will work out better.  That's the nice part about brewing Gongfu style; you tend to get 10 or more chances to dial in the infusion time that works best for the tea at that stage, along with experiencing more transition that way.

Third infusion:

Beauty:  this works really well brewed on the moderate strength side; I'm not sure why I was thinking the teas would need longer at this proportion (more than 10 seconds).  All the flavor aspects tend to integrate more at this stage; it's still covering that laundry-list of flavor range, but it combines into a complex, unified experience.  Complex fruit tone stands out, which could be interpreted in different ways.  Mineral undertone changes, adding a touch of copper taste, but that integrates really well too.  There's a rich, round feel to it.  For astringency dropping back to being a faint balancing input this is just great.  

It's well-synchronized, all completely integrated.  It's very clean in effect, with sweetness level high but balanced.  It goes without saying after all that but this is one of the best Darjeeling versions I've ever tried.  That seems to almost extend past personal preference as a factor; the quality level and balance is undeniable.  I guess someone could miss more astringency edge?  The feel isn't thin, it just doesn't have a bite, and none of that near-bitter flavor that seems to tie to that edge.

China:  this is the best it has been too; this moderate infusion strength works perfectly.  To be clear I'm not "brewing these light;" when you use a very high proportion of tea to water using a very short infusion time is just standard process.  These wouldn't be so different in infusion strength if I had brewed 2 grams of tea for 4 minutes, or probably for rounds of 3 and 4 minutes, "cashed out" after those two rounds.  To some extent that just combines the experience of many transitions into two.

This has that touch of astringency I said that someone might miss in the last sample notes, but it's very moderate, very balanced.  Again it shows up more after you drink it, as an aftertaste effect, than you notice during the time the tea is in your mouth.  It if was stronger it would seem like a slight dryness, and it still is close to that, but that light it seems odd referring to it as that.  Cinnamon is hanging in there; this flavor range covers mostly that and non-distinct or mixed citrus range, muscatel and perhaps more like orange peel zest.  

It's interesting trying this then the other, seeing how bright that comes across in comparison.  That flavor is towards berry, really, but a flash of a first impression is almost towards banana instead.  I don't want to overextend this point since it's a tangent, but people in the US don't really know what a flavorful banana tastes like.  You're not missing that much but if you travel in South East Asia sometime you should try some other types of bananas (or in India, I'd imagine).

Referring back to the vendor description (in the editing part, after making tasting notes), mango would also work.   The banana note I was talking about is not the normal light, mild, somewhat neutral flavor common to those sold in the US, more of a sweet, rich, almost bubble-gum flavor, towards a warmer range, not unlike some mango.  It's hard to describe which mango since the names here don't mean a lot to me, and I keep trying different versions.

closest to an aspect in the sangkhya type, I think, in the upper middle

versions from home, growing in the yard, picked before the squirrel got them

Fourth infusion:  

the Beauty version is less oxidized, probably more in a normal oolong range

I'll make a few fast notes since I'm off to a yoga class, appropriate enough to be drinking Indian teas prior to that.

Beauty:  a verbal description does nothing to convey how this tea really is.  It's almost absurd even making these notes.  Sure, I can try to isolate the parts of what I experience as a flavor list, or draw a comparison, or say things like "balanced, integrated, refined," but it wouldn't help.  It's too integrated to be broken apart, too complex and refined to be captured in words.  Good Taiwanese Oriental Beauty is like that too.  In a limited sense it's on the basic side, refined in general character, rich in feel, and very complex in flavor, so in one sense a flavor list does it justice and in another not at all.

At some level Wuyi Yancha oolongs have an odd, very pleasant quality that I refer to as liquor like, or perfume like, meaning that those can be complex, across floral and other flavor range, similar to part of the experience of a cognac or perfume.  This is a little like that, but more fruity instead of floral.  I guess that's the way to describe it, to get all poetic.  Maybe Geoffrey Norman should be writing this review.

China:  More of the same.  Again the balance really works.  Again it's warmer, and across vaguely related range but into warmer citrus and more cinnamon.  Astringency is almost a non-issue, although some does round out the feel.  That dropping out may have related both to getting the infusion strength right and a natural transition across rounds.  It has more structure, and a very light dryness shows up in aftertaste, and that's about it.  It's odd how that experience seems to occur after you drink it, but then I've already said that.

Both of these have lots of rounds to go, and both may transition a good bit, but I may or may not make more notes.  It's hard to get back to the same level of focus, and a lot of the story has been told already.

Later infusions:  over the next couple of rounds I needed to stretch out the timing a bit to keep up infusion strength.  The Beauty version seemed to pick up a nice heavier grape flavor, not so far off muscatel, but a little towards Welch's grape juice.  The China version kept the hint of dryness but a lot of that earlier astringency edge dropped out.  Cinnamon hung in there but citrus range stood out more in the flavors.  

Both thinned a little in overall complexity, and feel range thinned, but stretching times picked up the underlying mineral tones in both.  Both are still really pleasant, and will keep going beyond that, but they're dropping off.

Those are both really exceptional tea.  The "Beauty" version is that little bit more exceptional, a real treat for anyone who loves the Taiwanese oolong Oriental Beauty.  Of course it wasn't exactly like that, maybe in between that and a second flush Darjeeling character.  For all of these teas being this good it should be very interesting and pleasant to see where the oolong processed versions ended up.

Calling this Summer Beauty version oolong would've been fair enough.  I looked back at the listing description and it does say that it's semi-oxidized, it just doesn't add that extra category label.  I think people take the type names too seriously anyway; as I interpret their use labels and groupings should help define the type and expectations.  Being based on an AV2 cultivar and grown in Darjeeling this couldn't be identical to the Taiwanese oolong Oriental Beauty version, but it's a lot closer than I expected it to be.  It doesn't make any sense to judge if a single tea version is as good as a different and separate category, but it is really good tea.

Gopaldhara China Muscatel Gold second flush Darjeeling

I'm reviewing an additional sample of a Darjeeling provided by Gopaldhara (many thanks to them for providing those), following an initial post of a very nice first flush version.  The teas are great, and interesting, so other posts will follow.

Gopaldhara Muscatel Gold (CH FTGFOP1, second flush)

This tea (described on the vendor site here) is a good version of what one might expect of a Darjeeling; a true black tea, and a second flush type at that, so heavier on muscatel and other fruit elements.  Even still dry the tea seems just how it should be, with the dry tea scent including plenty of muscatel, along with malty sweetness and citrus tones.

beautiful tea; good colors, a good bit of tips

One aside before I get into the review, about the idea of cultivar (plant type).  This tea is presented as from a Chinese tea plant (see prior link), which would have to mean Camelia Sinensis var. Sinensis, versus var. Assamica.  I've not done the appropriate research yet but it's my current understanding that Ceylon and Assam teas are typically all from Assamica plants, but that Darjeelings are not, that problems growing Assamica types in that region were addressed by changing to the Chinese plant types (var. Sinensis).  Here is a Hojo vendor post that essentially covers that, just not in much detail, also including the idea that the var. Sinensis plants have intermixed with Assamica type plants (to some degree), so per that source and some other reliable input they would now be a hybrid.  I'll get back to all this in another post; for now on to reviewing this tea.


The taste matches the scent:  lots of grape / muscatel, a bit of citrus in the range of orange zest, with a rich, earthy malt base for context.  The flavors are clean, with no edge of astringency, just a little to give it a fuller feel (even more interesting related to plant-type concerns, but I'm not going there).


From there a number of more subtle elements give the tea the effect of complexity, all in a pleasant presentation.  That earthiness is really at the edge of the mineral range, reminding me of red sandstone from slick rock hiking back in the Utah desert.  As one taste aspect can seem connected to a body or feel aspect a bit of dryness goes along with that, more in the second infusion I prepared than the first.



A slight touch of cinnamon spice also joins in, but it's quite subtle, nothing like the effect when that's a main taste element in a more roasted oolong.  It's a good match with the muscatel, citrus, and malt.


The tea doesn't have astringency one would need to brew around but it seems experimenting with brewing temperature could shift that effect, the feel of the tea, along with minor shift in flavor elements.  Brewed a little cooler the effect is of a softer, fruitier tea, with earthy aspects and a dry and fuller body coming out at relatively hotter temperatures.  Typically one would brew Darjeelings at a bit below black tea range to push the flavor effect and lighten the body, per my understanding.  Experimentation would determine how that corresponds to personal preference, and it might make more sense related to teas that are less oxidized, depending on that factor.

About tea batches, different products from the same harvest

It's my understanding that some tea growers and processors really make different versions of tea more than one might notice, based on typically buying tea branded as one uniform type from one harvest.  I just discussed an extreme example with a tea farmer / processor--my favorite one, who doesn't even need to be named--in the form of Dan Cong teas made and processed separately from a single tea tree.  She said that's rare though, because it puts a lot of processing demand on the tea maker.  That's not just in terms of extra labor for keeping leaves and batches straight, and working in smaller lots, but also related to tying up processing equipment.


I read of a more recent example from Taiwan, which might be a more common case, of a vendor preparing teas from different slopes, facing in different directions, resulting in different characteristics.  That was in a popular media post, good to see, and related to Tealet, a name that might ring a bell.  An online friend and knowledgeable tea guy, Peter Jones, recently posted in a Facebook tea group about trying teas harvested at different times, across a span of days, with a lot more variation than one would expect, as partially cited following:


Each sample was harvested 5 days apart. The goal was to see if we could taste the differences as the leaf age changed as we covered about a month of growth over the FF harvest....  Everyone seemed to think there was a noticeable shift in flavor around the 20th day. Light, floral in the first sample to piney, subtle muscatel flavors by the end.


Fascinating!  Related to an earlier post about a Ceylon black tea tasting like mint the tea maker said that flavor element would only be present for a short window, so catching it had to be intentional, and properly carried out, even potentially impossible depending on unfavorable weather variations.

Another post will follow about another second flush black tea from the same estate, covering how different teas from the same estate produced at the same time can vary, with a bit more on that cultivar issue there.