Gopaldhara Red Thunder ruby and black autumn Darjeeling

Red Thunder Ruby left, black right

About winter / fall teas from Gopaldhara, not versions I've kept around for as long as some other recent "lost sample" posts, but definitely running one season behind since it's onto spring already, maybe just not time for Darjeeling first flush releases yet.  This is one of my overall favorite teas from Gopaldhara, and to me one of the best Darjeeling versions I've tried.  The review description sheds light on why, it just isn't really filled with subjective take input like that, more about aspects, so it really wouldn't come across. 

I think the other version is a black tea variation that may be experimental, or something they made for limited batch sales.  I didn't see it on their website.  Either one, since their original India version has been joined by one set up for foreign sales, listing Red Thunder here (assuming there is one main version that this is, which the "Ruby" designation potentially may not relate to):

Gopaldhara Red Thunder Oolong – Winter Frosted 2021

Gopaldhara Red Thunder is a limited edition Darjeeling Autumn Flush made from frosted leaves. This fine tea is made from clonal bushes and appears blackish red with abundant tips. The tea is made during the last week of October where the temperature starts approaching zero degrees at night, leading to the leaves getting frosted. Extreme cold weather conditions at high elevation induce a special and complex flavor into the tea. It is well oxidized while still retaining a prominent fruity flavor.

I'm usually a bit skeptical of teas being marketed as Indian oolong, since the versions never remind me of the rest of the range of teas presented that way, from lots of other countries, but this has a distinctive and different character.  Or I suppose autumn flush might tend to be like this, since I've not tried so many of those?  Anyway, it's really good and novel in type, and oxidized to a medium level, so oolong it is.

That tea lists for $10 for 100 grams; that seems really low to me.  I just mentioned a couple of teas from Nepal selling for $15 for 50 grams last post (the second used to benchmark value for the first), and for teas as good as Jun Chiyabari usually makes that seems fair.  I can't imagine those could be better than this though, just different in style, and it's listing for one third that rate.  Direct sales has the potential to relate to much better value than teas sold by a middleman or two in between, but often all kinds of vendors will build up demand and customer base by starting out with a low markup, and correct that later on.  I'm not necessarily saying that I expect this price to double over the next few years but that wouldn't be unusual. 

Review:

Red Thunder Ruby:  fantastic, of course, but the point here is to pin down in what sense.  Even for being slightly light due to being a quick first infusion this is great, complex, well-balanced, and pleasant.  Warm tones complement nice warm fruit range, complex enough that it's not just one thing.  Interpretations of dried black cherry and tamarind might make sense.  There's a bit of citrus edge but not so much, at least not yet.  The warm tones aren't as clearly defined and distinct, but it's pretty much in lighter black tea range, even though I think this gets described as an oolong.  

More oxidized oolong range always overlaps with less oxidized black tea range anyway, often accompanied by percentage amounts, like 80% oxidized, but it's hard to be sure that specific designation is meaningful.  A tea being just off fully oxidized does mean something specific, just maybe not narrowing that down to a percentage.

Black Red Thunder:  an early sourness throws off this coming across as positively, but it seems like the kind of flavor input that will "burn off" over the first round or two.  Warmth and sweetness matches the other for this, and there's probably some fruit range to it too, but for being light mostly that sour note comes across.  It seems a little like sour cherry for combining those ranges, maybe just pulled a little towards cocoa, as the other also was.  In going back and trying the other that warm range could be lots of different things, spice, or aromatic wood, but it's not as clearly centered on cocoa.  It will be interesting to see how both shift once they're really along the main infusion cycle next round.

Ruby Red Thunder, second infusion:  a little tartness picks up in this, giving it more of a berry character.  It's not sour cherry, but not so far off that.  It's nice how complex this is, how it packs in a lot of fruit range, with warmth complementing that.  I'm not sure the tartness is really an improvement, and trying to brew this on the lighter side may lighten the balance of that.  I was using about a 10-15 second infusion time, more towards 15, which doesn't sound like long but as usual I've maxed out the proportion.  

The warm tone is moving in an interesting direction, now heavier into spice, between cinnamon and warm tree bark range.  Cinnamon kind of is bark; I mean like a typical thick barked hardwood, but related to cured bark, a version that's been stored somewhat humid for awhile, perhaps laying in the woods.

Black:  the sourness did mostly drop out in this, with an unusual mineral range filling in.  It tastes a little like salt; it's odd that doesn't come up more.  It gives it an interesting sweet versus savory divide, like sweet and sour pork, or crispy pork (kind of Chinese / general Asian thing).  A rich fruit range develops, more like cherry than anything else.  It's cool that these have expressed so much range around the cherry theme so far, with the other venturing into other berry just now.  

The feel of this has a dry edge to it.  That's not really good or bad, a positive supporting input or something that detracts, just how it is.  If it was stronger it would be negative, and I suppose rich and full without dryness might be slightly better, but it's fine, it's nice.  

Red Thunder Ruby, third infusion:  a little extra light, but it's nice "seeing it" from different infusion strength perspectives to get a feel for how the experienced aspects range can vary.  That one catchy set of fruit and warm tones still stands out, with feel relatively positive, with some richness and fullness but no real edge of any kind.  There is no sourness or tartness in it prepared this way.  Complexity stands out most, how there's a lot going on.  The fruit and warm tone ranges aren't just one thing, as I've described, both really coming across as a set of flavors.  That spice / bark tone starts to transition more to aromatic, warm wood tone, or that could just be an effect from shifting infusion strength.

Red Thunder Black:  the best this has been, even though this is a little light (how it's prepared).  That unusual mineral range is cool.  It doesn't come across as much as salt this round, but it's definitely a main part of the experience.  It leans a little towards that inky mineral effect that can be present in roasted Wuyi Yancha versions, which really does taste a bit like ink smells.  A more conventional interpretation would discuss wood tones or fruit more, since those are easier to notice, but the mineral range stands out (to me) for being novel, and contributing a lot to the overall effect.  Fruit range never did dial up quite as much as in the other version.

I'll be traveling today so I'll probably do one more round with note taking and then drop this, probably not getting back to adding more about the later rounds.  Both will keep shifting and developing, and both are pretty far from finished, as I've prepared them.  Drinking two teas worth of 8 or 9 rounds in a hurry is too much; made this way it's too much for someone to drink straight through.  

I never really factor in context like that when starting, in part due to not being all that clear-minded in the morning to factor in anything.  It's 9:30 AM now and already hot out, and I started this back more towards 9, a more proper time for getting out of bed on a Saturday.  A single Tim Horton's maple cream filled donut is offsetting the impact of all this tannin in my stomach; so far so good, but it's at its limit.

Ruby Red Thunder:  really nice, very well balanced, but I don't have much to add about changes.  If anything it all just evened out nicely, with fruit and warm tones, and rich feel, all coming together in their proper places.  I would accept this as a nice black tea version, the feel is just a bit softer, rich instead of having any astringency edge at all.  It can be considered an oolong then, it's just not like any form of Chinese oolong, as close as any to a Taiwanese rolled ball form "red oolong," kind of an unusual sub-category.  

The richness in this is a bit like that warm tone in a cinnamon roll, not just the cinnamon part, which is present, but also that nice cooked sugar range, and warm pastry effect.  Don Mei would go crazy listing flavors for this; it would contain 20.  It comes across as complex but integrated, and in a unique sense as simple.  It's good.

Red Thunder Black:  a lot of that general commentary applies to this too; it's integrating nicely.  The warm tones definitely include a bit of a cured wood effect now, which works with the rest.  Mineral has backed off a little, letting that part and fruit show through.  Either of these could be interpreted as more into citrus range than I've described, maybe with a hint of sweet red grapefruit in this overall effect.  Both are complex enough that a lot of different interpretations could make sense.  These reviews are more about describing an overall effect built up through describing how details add up, but not as one objectively correct interpretation.  Seeing these flavors as being something else would be natural, and not necessarily less accurate.  

All in all this is pretty good too.  I liked the other better, for really nailing a unique balance, more the version I expect from past experiences (not that I can memorize a tea so well from one year to the next, or across two).  I thought this would contain more edge for being identified as a black but it really didn't include much more for astringency / structure than the other, with that early dryness dropping out a round ago.  The oxidation level difference is almost clearer in the wet leaf color than the character, since they're just different, not necessarily with this just like conventional black tea and the other not.

Conclusions:

Not much to add really; both were nice, but to me the Ruby version really stood out.  Expectation could've factored in, it being more what I thought I would experience, or what I had learned to appreciate in the past.

I often find myself saying that I like teas or that they're good in posts, since I wouldn't usually review a tea that I don't like, which is a less interesting story to tell.  It's hard to put that on a scale.  Gopaldhara tea range is really novel, up there with the absolute best I've tried from India, and this version is one of my favorites from them.  It's on the exceptional side of "good."  

I like their lighter intense fruit and floral range teas too, when versions really click, but this one also has consistency on its side, that it's always this good, and seemingly always in a similar character range.  That impressive, given that they need to work around how much the weather cooperates in making teas.

back from that travel I mentioned, which included snorkeling in the Gulf of Thailand

there were no other people or boats anywhere near us that day, kind of crazy

Tippy Doke Fusion and second flush Giddapahar teas

This tasting theme related to getting to samples from last year that looked interesting, including a different "tippy" version of the flagship Fusion product from Doke, from Bihar, not one of the main tea producing regions.  Reviewing another Darjeeling with it is about using that as a benchmark, and just commenting here on more teas they sent.  Giddapahar rings a bell, I must have reviewed at least one or two from them before, but it's not that familiar.  Per usual I'll add more listing details and links during editing.

One atypical part of this review post is that I wrote these notes three weeks ago, dropping out of doing most writing due to spending nearly two weeks on a covid experience.  These tasting notes tend to be fairly complete anyway.

DOKE BLACK FUSION TIPPY:- FIRST FLUSH 2021 (now listed at $11.24 / 50 grams)

The best Indian black tea that has a combination of sweet and malty roast notes with caramel flavour aftertaste is a heart winner for most of the tea drinkers! Having a brewing time of 3 minutes, this tea fills the air with its aroma of caramel and a spicy texture that is beyond words to explain! Coming from Bihar, Doke Black Fusion is processed using Assamica tea leaves that compels the tea lovers to explore this tea.

I didn't see a listing for the Giddapahar tea through their outlet (Tea Swan), or a clear match through Google search.  That version was more for comparison purposes anyway, and it was interesting experiencing the contrast in styles.  I didn't take it to be indicative of a normal, standard style Darjeeling second flush, but that was fine, trying something pleasant and more unique instead.  Of course I mis-matched flushes, since the Doke was a spring tea, but it turned out to not matter related to style range since they had fully oxidized that tea version, unlike conventional first flush Darjeeling style.

Review:

interesting that the second flush Giddapahar, left, is less oxidized

Tippy Black Fusion:  interesting.  One part resembles a standard black tea, maybe towards Ceylon for being softer and including more mineral depth than Assam typically does, and from there distinctive dried fruit range enters in.  It's a little towards Chinese date, jujube, but it's not that.  Cocoa / cacao comes across as well; that part would be familiar to Chinese black tea drinkers.  The feel is nice, with a little dryness and fullness but nothing like harsh astringency edge.  People accustomed to drinking better loose tea wouldn't consider adding milk to this, although it probably would be ok, it's just not something that I would check.  This is quite pleasant, and it will probably develop a little more depth over the next two infusions, before levelling off.

Giddapahar AV2 Summer Delight Second Flush:  that's really quite nice too, but very different.  It's includes just a little more dryness but really the effect is just different, more than it's stronger.  A strong range of warm tones stand out in this, and it includes fruit as well, and a catchy spice-like aspect, which I'm not really clear enough on to describe yet.  The muscatel level is moderate; it's not a version that's all about blasting that, but it does include that distinctive grape / citrus / wine-like range.   The catchy part may be how the different aspects balance.  I wouldn't be surprised if a bit of dryness and light range mineral softened and deepened next round, so I'll do a more complete flavor breakdown then.

Doke Tippy Fusion on the left in all photos

Doke Tippy Fusion second infusion:  lots of transition; an inky sort of flavor range really ramped up.  It's hard to describe, not like the straight ink mineral range that can couple with lots of other integrated flavors in Wuyi Yancha oolongs.  This is towards sourness, just not sour in a typical sense.  It seems to couple with fruit range, like elderberry, as a variation of how a juice can come across.  

I like it, but personal preference would determine response to this.  Fruity, mineral based, heavy flavor range black teas seem really nice to me, but this is in a unique range.  We've bought a ligonberry jam from IKEA before; what I'm describing as sourness and fruit isn't that close to that, since these flavors are heavier, but it works in comparison to describe what I mean by fruit-like and sour.  That reminds me, there's a Laos berry tisane I've been meaning to review, gooseberry, maybe that was?

Giddapahar:  so different that it's cool experiencing one of these and then the other.  I had expected more astringency edge from this, given how broken the leaf is, and now it's showing up.  It's not exactly that green wood range that seems to stand out and be distinctive related to only Darjeeling, but it's close to that, a variation.  Warm tones broaden feel and flavor well beyond that, making it seem complex (which it is).  The part I'm interpreting as catchy might just be the way a pronounced root spice aspect links with less distinctive fruit, with the two complementing each other.  The aftertaste is just that astringency edge, not so far off the experience of bitterness, or this might be a feel aspect that seems to link to actual bitterness.  

It works, but the astringency and towards-bitter edge isn't in an ideal balance.  The water I'm using is probably around 90 C, maybe just over (but I tend to not check those things), and backing that off to 80 or 85 might be more optimum for this.  Not that I would; I brew tea using pretty much the same water temperature, and even brewing parameters, and how it works out is what I'm interested in experiencing.  If this was more broken I would brew it Western style, probably then easing up on temperature just a little, but it's ok for this approach, with astringency moderated by brewing time.

In giving it one last taste that spice range includes towards-root flavor but also fennel seed, as a more dominant aspect, which is interesting.

Doke, third infusion:  I brewed these quite quickly, at or under 10 seconds, because intensity is a bit much at this proportion, for both, but they're probably still not even close to light.  The lighter intensity lets the fruit show through better; it's nicer.  That still does remind me most of elderberry.  It's hard to say what that tastes like, in comparison with other berries; a bit like blackberry, but heavier on mineral, richer in flavor, less fruity somehow, even inky in taste range.  If you ever get a chance to try a good version of fresh elderberry pie with vanilla ice cream your life will be improved by that.

Overall balance is good, the moderate astringency, pleasant and integrated flavors, good sweetness.  There aren't really any flaws to work around.  The only limitation is that this style and character might not suit everyone, which is true of essentially every tea type.  I see some types as more universal in appeal but that interpretation might not be shared by others.  These including what I'm describing as towards sourness and bitterness work well in relation to the rest of the range, but they might serve as examples of range that wouldn't work well for everyone.  Backing off infusion strength makes the part seeming like sourness drop out in this, with plenty of fruit flavor and warm tone intensity remaining, so it's down to a matter of brewing it appropriately.  I don't think this would be as good made Western style, unless someone could be careful about dialing in final infusion timing and intensity.

Giddapahar:  brewed lighter the part I've been struggling to capture really stands forward.  This tastes like teaberry!  It's a minty sort of wild berry found where I'm from, in Pennsylvania, that people tend not to eat.  I've heard before that you can collect and brew the leaves, and that they can even be oxidized.  That sounds amazing, but I've never tried it.  As with the other tea intensity really supports lighter brewing; this is plenty strong enough, and much better balanced.  Sweetness stands out more, with astringency and the seemingly connected wood tone flavor dialing back.  

It can come across as an insult in tea circles to say that a tea would be good with food, but I could see how this would pair well with a lot of range.  That edge works better moderated by infusion strength, like this round is prepared, but that effect could also be countered by eating this with a raisin cinnamon roll.  There's even a hint of cinnamon in this, showing up better for the wood tone dropping with infusion strength.

Doke, fourth infusion:  more of the same, and quite pleasant.  

Giddapahar:  the same really; maybe transitioning just a little.  Both these teas will keep making positive, complex, balanced infusions for a number of additional rounds, and character will shift a bit more, but the notes are sufficient.

Conclusion:

For quitting taking notes that early both teas might have improved slightly over the next few rounds, especially the Doke version.  It picked up a nice brandy-like character, warming and adding depth, with sweetness towards toffee or heavy caramel.  Intensity stayed good for lots more rounds, with parts that someone might have interpreted as negative (for both) largely dropping out, the astringency edge and such.

It was interesting how different this seemed to me in relation to the other second flush Doke Fusion version I had tried and reviewed (here).  There was enough continuity that I could relate to them being branded under the same name but they weren't even close to identical, with this version much better, adding more depth, complexity, and positive nature across a broad number of rounds.

This Giddapahar was interesting for not matching Darjeeling second flush standard character I expected, but being positive in a different way.  As some sort of standard type comparison baseline it wasn't suitable at all, but as a novel, good quality, and pleasant tea version it exceeded my expectations.  I'll skip trying to compare either of these to some other standard range, and the impossible task of matching a general extracted quality level from one range of tea to another.  These were good, pleasant and interesting; that's enough.

not much for home life or outings to share lately, so them sleeping will do

still time for messing around in between all the rest and recovery

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 Spring Honey Oolong and Summer Golden Tips

 

Spring / first flush tea on the left in all photos, second flush / summer harvest right

I'm trying two teas from a new set provided by Rishi of Gopaldhara for review (many thanks).  We talked to him not long ago in one of those online meetups, here.  The theme of developing higher quality, whole-leaf oolong that draws on varied processing approach inputs, especially from oolong processing from China, was a bit familiar prior to then, but nice to hear more details about directly.  The proof is always in the pudding, and their teas have been great for a long time, for years.  I would expect them to continue to improve, making results hard to place in relation to past experiences with Darjeeling, maybe even with their own prior versions.

Just prior to trying these teas I remembered that the last time I reviewed a set of samples from them I kept doing combined tastings that coupled first and second flush versions, which is not an intuitive approach at all.  It makes the most sense to try versions that are as similar as possible, to identify finer differences between them, variations in feel, flavor aspects, or intensity that distinguish them.  Trying dissimilar teas actually leads to picking up less in the tasting process, in a similar way that the more versions you taste the harder it is to focus, or background noise and distractions can have a negative effect.  Oh well.  I'm not sure what I picked these based on; it seemed like maybe there would be a common character thread that is interesting, probably only reacting to the names.  Or it's down to my stupidity and random chance.

On with tasting then.  Of course I'm brewing these Gongfu style; for teas of this type it's really the only valid approach, per my preference and opinion.  I've discussed that recently, about how vendors might actually recommend whatever they think would work well and ring a bell for consumers, so a website suggestion for these teas would probably relate to Western style brewing, related to the latter factor.  Eventually I might try some of these versions prepared Western style but to me it doesn't get the best results out of them.

Review:

Spring Honey Oolong:  just fantastic; really what I expected.  Sweet, creamy, rich floral notes are intensely pleasant.  Of course there is none of the astringency edge in typical Darjeeling first flush versions, which can be ok, maybe even a positive balance, but to me the teas are much better without it, or at least with a very moderate input of that.  Fullness and creaminess replaces that.  The taste range is primarily floral but strong fruit tones stand out too, maybe a type of berry I probably won't place.  It's not far off the range of red raspberry but that's not it.  The floral tones are complex, probably a mix, only well described if someone could split that apart, which I can't.  

Sweetness is at a high level, which supports the rest really well.  You never fully appreciate sweetness until it's not present at a normal level in a tea, and then you miss it.  The brightness resembles citrus, almost lemony, but as much in effect as the actual taste of lemons.  Often it's possible to specify a different citrus then, but this seems to be in between lemon and tangerine.

Summer Golden Tips:  the contrast is just great, how these are both so good in related but different ways.  A light astringency edge is present in this; it's a black tea.  It's on the soft side as Indian black teas go, of course, replacing a typical biting edge with structure in this case, versus creaminess in the first.  There's a lot going on in relation to flavor.  A mild version of malt couples with that astringency, nothing like the form of typical Assam, but not so different than the highest end versions.  Floral tones inclined towards fruit stand out in this too, but across a much different range.  Those are rounded out by a nice balancing warm mineral range.  

The floral tones and fruit are different in the two tea versions, different flowers, and a different warm fruit range versus the bright berry of the first, towards light citrus.  The fruit is a little like dried tamarind, not exactly like dried longan, but in that direction.  Dried longan is fantastic, by the way; if you ever see that you should buy it.

Second infusion:

Spring Honey Oolong:  this is a little too intense, too strongly brewed, and I used a time just under 10 seconds.  It's fine, not at all ruined, but finding the optimum might involve taking care to account for intensity.  Astringency picked up a good bit, not to the level of a chopped leaf version but with enough to move towards a comparable balance and effect.  I suppose that's a good thing, or to me it's just different.  Honey is really pronounced now.  I suppose it was present last round but not like now.  

Golden Summer Tips:  really essentially the same flavors as last round, just with relative balance of inputs switched around a little.  Astringency level is comparable to the honey oolong but in a completely different form.  There is citrus and muscatel range to this; maybe that didn't come out as strong in a first round.  Muscatel range is very moderate though; it could easily be interpreted as some other general fruit range.

It's complex in a positive way, and also intense.  It's interesting experiencing strong flavor intensity and positive feel with moderate astringency input.  Notable, but still moderate.  That input effect would change completely brewed lighter, which would take a really fast infusion time at the high proportion I'm using.  Of course backing off that proportion is an option.

Fourth infusion:

I took a break for a few hours and used the third round as a rinse to refresh the tea, which I drank, but didn't write notes for.  It was an interesting break; first we bathed the cats, when it started to rain, so we had to do that in a roofed area that serves as a garage space.  It kept on raining and the kids decided to go shoot baskets in a downpour, so I joined them for that.  I helped them clean the bathroom that they use (the covid theme relates to us not having a housekeeper visit), and I went for a run after, when it was only raining lightly.

Spring Honey Oolong:  honey is still really pronounced in this round, and floral tone, with a citrus range closer to orange peel now.  There's an astringency edge paired with a flavor that is distinctive in first flush Darjeeling, which I take to taste like green wood mixed with a floral tone.  It's a great balanced and complex effect, adding in nice intensity, smooth feel, and more aftertaste than Darjeeling versions ever tend to have.  That high level of sweetness and honey tone works well for me.  But is it oolong?

Kind of.  I don't know about the processing steps, and for the most part I'm more concerned about aspects outcome than category placement anyway.  Feel is quite smooth, rich, and full for any Darjeeling (just not on the level of those for Taiwanese high mountain oolong).  They can have a great structure, or fullness, but not typically like this (again not based on a God's eye view of Darjeeling, just a prior impression).  The flavor set is definitely not even close to Chinese oolong versions ranges I'm familiar with, since that part is Darjeeling, the list I keep repeating.  Leaving aside any expectations about Darjeeling or oolong the overall effect is great, and it also works folding those in, to me.  It's nothing like one of the typical type-ranges of oolong (Wuyi Yancha, Dan Cong, Anxi TGY, or Taiwanese high mountain versions), but then those are all different from each other too.  

It might not make that much sense to ask if there is a subset of commonality within those four type ranges that this overlaps with; the first part isn't as simple as it first sounds.  Within those broad categories oxidation level, roast, leaf input related factors, processing, and quality level cause a lot of variation.  I think there is common ground among all those oolongs but I'm not so clear on what it is; smoothness, fullness of feel, flavor intensity, a refinement in better versions (that part is vague), and being approachable (not challenging).  This isn't completely different, it just tastes like Darjeeling, and feel and aftertaste are less pronounced.

Summer Golden Tips:  this came out less intense than the other for the same parameters; that doesn't automatically mean anything in particular to me.  The astringency edge has shifted to come across as dryness, still paired with warm mineral undertone and malt flavor, or at least it seems connected to me.  It's pleasant.  

The other Spring version seems just a bit more novel, including a set of aspects that you don't often run across together.  This is a well-balanced version of second flush black tea Darjeeling, it seems.  For a broken leaf tea this astringency edge would be light, but for a more whole leaf version it stands out as moderate (lower medium level), and distinctive in character.  The complex range of supporting flavor is unusual.  

It's not so atypical for black tea versions of Darjeeling to hammer just a few flavor aspects, and this does express a limited set most, but keeps going beyond that.  It's malty; that seems different.  Citrus is a main supporting tone but really that balances with floral and fruit range.  Muscatel is limited in this, maybe not even in a range one would interpret as that, maybe as well left described as only citrus.

I think it would seem more impressive if this other tea wasn't so unique, complex, balanced, and intense.  It's quite good, but the novelty of the other version adds another dimension.  I usually like second flush versions better too, the way that aspect range comes together at that oxidation level.

Conclusions:

The next infusion wasn't so different and late rounds transitions seem like a lot of trouble to add, going through what shifts most later on.  These are so high in quality and exceptional in character that I don't think either is going to fade fast or shift to straight woody taste.  So then it's either about what comes out stronger later (usually flavor profile narrows and astringency picks up as you stretch infusion times), or there could be a surprise, some kind of shift.  I'm doing this edit days later but there were no surprises, they just kept transitioning, and brewed a lot of rounds, at least ten.

It's hard to describe just how good these teas are.  My friend Ralph made a good point in reviewing one (not the same, maybe, but from a similar set, with this Spring version reviewed here) about how not expecting this particular character going in can be experienced as a challenge.  The novelty could make them work really well, but it's also possible to not completely get what's going on at first, in the same way one does in drinking familiar tea types.  Brewing approach can require a slight adjustment in relation to chopped leaf Darjeeling, with the more moderate astringency probably a positive difference for most people.  Both of these weren't as soft as mild Chinese black teas can be, but the astringency present was in a good range to balance the rest, not detracting from the experience.

Beyond that whole leaf character they really must be experimenting with shifts in processing styles, as Rishi described, years past earlier forms of changes where what is different but not better gets included, onto moving forwards with approaches that have been working out well.  Of course factors like weather would make a lot of difference too.  2021 must have been a really hard year just to keep making tea there, but that didn't showing up in any negative ways in these teas.

So they are amazing teas, as usual, just more of the same, in relation to that being how their teas go.  Based on this early impression they might have set the bar that bit higher, as I would've expected.  The "golden tips" version suffers a little in comparison with the other for just being a pretty good, novel, high quality, well-balanced example, and for giving up a little intensity and complexity, but all that is no small feat, and it's quite pleasant to experience.  I think if that citrus present had seemed a little more pronounced, and further into muscatel range in character, it would've came across quite differently, but it was nice as it was.  It's possible that for trying these a few more times, with novelty as less of a factor, I would like the second flush version as much for being a solid, well balanced black tea version, since that general type range is a personal favorite.

Vendor descriptions:

This rambled on so long I almost forgot to include Gopaldhara's input about what I was trying.

Rohini Honey Oolong Spring – First Flush 2021 (it seems like it's that)

A rare first flush oolong tea made from the best quality AV2 bushes, which has very finely plucked tippy whole leaves with a silvery appearance. It has a traditional spring character & tantalizing sweet aroma with a finish of honey. The tea has a very pleasant & distinct aftertaste with zero astringency which leaves behind a very memorable experience.

The tea bushes are grown and harvested at an elevation between 1500-3000 feet...

That sounds right.  Onto the other:

Rohini Summer Golden Tips – Rare Hand Rolled Tea 2021 (I had no idea both were from Rohini; I should read the information sheet next time)

Rohini Summer Golden Tips is one of the finest second flush teas from Rohini Tea Estate of Darjeeling. The tea is made from small leaves having lots of buds. It is made from AV2 bushes which is one of the most preferred clones of Darjeeling. The leaves are freshly plucked in the last week of May. The dry leaves appear to be brownish with lots of golden tips.  This finest second flush tea brews into a bright orange and clear cup having mouthful, sweet & fruity muscatel character with a finish of honey.

Second flush teas are considered matured because of the sufficient rainfall received during the month of May in the Darjeeling region. The leaves absorb enough water during the monsoon period which helps in developing rich colour, strong aroma & muscatel flavour to the teas. 

Sounds right too, the muscatel just came across more as a less distinct citrus range in this tasting, to me, which is pretty close.

Keo shooting baskets during the tasting, before it rained

reviewing outside again

I haven't posted her picture in awhile.  she made that bag; she's really creative.

long haired Keo with Myra