A Look at Darjeeling no.4: Ahmad

Today we close this small series on Darjeeling teas. What we have today are teas by Ahmad. As I said on a previous installment Darjeeling teas in the past have neither excited me or repelled me.

From what I seen, tea people are really nice  and those who sport the most knowledge, those that can be called connoisseurs, tend to get their kicks through quality and grade over added flavorings. I claim no specialized knowledge and I like to think myself as falling somewhere in between connoisseur and layman.

The first tea, the Ahmad Windsor Darjeeling, is in loose leaf form. Once again, no tea grading info. With this Darjeeling I attempted to informally test myself and see if I could pull out some of its hidden flavors. The result: I couldn't. This tea tastes like... jalapeno! Not spicy hot, but it has all the flavor in there. Wow! I knew that tea could have subtle flavors, but I never imagined something so blatant.   This must be an anomaly. But if you like unusual flavors, but dislike added essences and/or flowers, by all means consider this one.

At the same time that I received this loose leaf as a gift, I also got a tin of English Breakfast teabags from the same brand. The tin looks very nice on the shelf, decorated with embossed beefeaters and English guards, but the contents' only redeeming quality is its strength. It is not Darjeeling by any stretch (nor claims to). This one is probably sold as a tourist trap, leading the unwary buyers to believe that they are getting a genuine English tea experience from their purchase. Talk about two opposing results from the same brand name.

Closing the series now, Darjeeling are fine teas to be sure. Through the series my views have indeed changed moderately in favor of the Darjeelings as a whole. This probably was helped in part by listening concurrently to Tea Rage podcast which trumpets the region. I still prefer my China, but now I begin to see somewhat clearly what the fuss is all about. Over the series there were a few surprises and unusual flavors. Of those tasted, I have to give best award to the First Flush form Golden Tips of Darjeeling followed by the Lipton loose.

A Look at Darjeeling no.3: First Flush

Picking up from where we left last time with the Golden Tips of Darjeeling, today we taste the higher  grade  of the pair: the First Flush.  Golden Tips has plenty  premium teas for sale, but this one appears not be quite on that category though it is a bit more expensive than the Kanchan view and in a smaller package.  

I sent a message to the Golden Tips people through there website to know more about the teas I had with me (Kanchan, and First Flush) before review, but received no answer. Like the previous teas on this series, there is no indication of leaf grading.

So well. When opening the First Flush packet I expected to find something similar to the Kanchan in size and color, but instead I was surprised with almost silvery leaves. For a moment I thought that it might be white tea, but on brewing the first pot, I discovered that it was something quite out of my experience.  Not white tea definitely; but something  in between black and green that defies my precise identification. Gets close to an honest black, but doesn't quite get there on liquor aspect or taste. The brew color, in fact is quite clear with the color of fresh straw moving a bit into lemon.

However, the resulting infusion can be quite good. After half a dozen trials I've got to know this one better. It is delicate and sensitive to to brewing time. About 10% more of the usual black tea amount is needed to give it strength, while  a short infusion time must be followed. Around 3 1/2- 4 minutes yield the best results; a faint bitterness shatters the flavor if left any longer. Also, in my experience, it works better when brewed a cup at a time over a whole teapot. Can't explain this.

As said, the taste is delicate, yet not as faint as that of a white tea. No undernotes did I find. The Darjeeling maltiness is more present than in the Kanchan View, but still comparatively subdued.

So far, this has been the best Darjeeling of the ones I've tasted.

A look at Darjeeling No. 2 : Golden Tips Kanchan View

There is something odd in my relation to Darjeeling teas. I like them, but find them unexceptional. It is pretty much the case of Bach's Cello suites: some people love them and think it the best music ever written or close enough, but no matter how many times I've listened to them or the different performers I've tried, I cannot get what the hype is about; and I really do dig Bach's music in general especially the keyboard music.

Packet

So today I give one more honest, open go at Darjeeling teas. The tea today is Golden Tips of Darjeeling Kanchan View and I have high expectations for it and for its companion a first flush (2012?) Highland which we'll check out next time. Both are estate grown black teas from the region.

As you can see, these are neatly packed and once  unwrapped it might be best to have a clean empty tin at hand to transfer the contents. Despite the company's name, there is no indication as to leaf grading. To my untrained eye, the leaves look longish.

Refilled a tin

The brewing time takes just a bit longer than usual. Smells good, but nothing extraordinary. Surprisingly, the maltiness with this one is very subdued. What we get instead is a moderate to bold bona fide plain vanilla black tea taste. No subtle aftertastes here. I guess many people like just that: a true, no frills tea, and this is how I find this one. There is a hint of metallic taste too.

However, when prepared as iced tea very distinct licorice notes emerge.

For my part I usually like some variation to the black tea theme without going overboard; something this one does not meet when hot. Notwithstanding I can still find a use for this one: it can be a trusty base for house blends as, being less astringent than the Lipton, lends a more ample space to work with flavorwise.

Not extraordinary. Good, yes, but not something to go looking for. Overall, the Lipton has an edge over this one. Next time let's see if the First Flush Highland helps change my mind.

A look at Darjeeling no.1: Lipton tea

Darjeeling is an area in India on the foothills of the Himalayas. The teas from this region are quite famous and go under the same name.  Unofficially these are touted as the champagne of teas and accordingly carry high prestige.

 

Over the next few weeks I'll review some of the Darjeelings I've come across lately. This week we start on known territory.
 

Not long ago I got some packs of tea from someone who went to the very Darjeeling region and was surprised to find among these a couple of boxes Lipton branded  black tea loose leaf Darjeeling. It is surprising because the brand, rightly or not, is generally associated with teabags and so-so tea. Interested, I prepared some teapots over several weeks to taste what was it like.
 

On the box I find no indication as to its specific leaf grading other than it is long leaf, which makes me think that it may not rank among the best in quality in this department. Among the dried leaves I find some few stems.
 

The color and aroma were within the expected bounds. The taste has the distinct Darjeeling maltiness and the leaf is very tolerant to oversteeping without getting bitter. However, attempts to resteep it, yield weak brews with the maltiness all but gone. Overall good on the first steep, not extraordinary. However, the more I tried it, the more adept I became in handling it. Just recently I've been getting some pretty tasty smoothly rounded cups out of it.
 

On the stomach it feels a bit aggressive at times unlike the rest of the Darjeelings we'll talk about later. Maybe leaf quantity has something to do with this.
 

Can't say if this tea is a deal as I do not how much it costs. However, I find nothing fret about with it. It's fine to trust in big brands once in a while.