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New Darjeeling Tea Arrivals and our intentions to do something good this Christmas!

By on November 27, 2009 in Autumn Flush, Darjeeling Photos, Darjeeling Tea Offers, New Tea Arrivals

Hi wrote this for my Email Newsletter, but could occupy as a blog post as well, so…

With the advent of First Flush and the end of the Autumn Flush, the 2009 tea season for Darjeeling Tea has ended. Winter is totally a dormant period with no production at all, mainly due to severe cold weather conditions with lack of sunlight and rain which are much needed. The next big season for Darjeeling Tea will start from March 2010. We wait for the new First Flush season now.

Thanks Giving
We have tremendously increased the volume of teas we used to purchase and we would like to thank all the tea lovers who made it possible. Without you all, it would just be an impossible dream. We try our best to source what Darjeeling produces each season and thanks to all for liking our teas. Once again Thanks ALL for your support and for building your trust in us. One thing we promise you – we won’t let you down on your expectations!

New Arrivals and Discount Straight away:
The new arrivals on our store are the single estate teas from the last tea season of the year namely “Autumn Flush“. We were busy sourcing teas here and there and the good thing about Autumn is, you can get good teas at very affordable prices. Of course some teas are exceptional, like the Arya White Tea, which tend to have a higher price tag – don’t blame us, we bought it expensive!

With the advent of Christmas, just a few weeks away, we thought of giving discounts on our new tea arrivals as well. First Flush and Second Flush teas are already on sale and the discounts on the new Autumn Flush will extend till end of Christmas. Regular pricing of Autumnal teas will prevail after Christmas.

So now is the perfect time to order, as our slowest method of shipping takes about 15 days for delivery. Expedited is one week. Don’t wait, order now and stock up your teas for the coming Christmas! Boast away with your possessions :) and throw a Christmas Tea Party!! – Autumn Flush here!

Doing Something Good This Christmas
hayden_hall_darjeeling01 We always wanted to help non profit organizations / tea laborers, needy Darjeeling people etc. and have been doing in small ways. This time we want you to get involved as well. People travel all the way from different countries to Darjeeling to do their desired social work and here is your chance to give something to the needy. No, we are not asking for any money, we will tell how you can get involved. The perfect organization to work with is Hayden Hall, a women’s non profit organization which has been operational from 1969. They focus on poor women’s self-sufficiency programs which in turn focus on solving the problems their children, families and communities face. They make various handicraft products which are all amazing, but since we are tea centric, our focus got diverted towards the beautiful tea cozies that they make. We will not sell their tea cozies but instead send as a free addition to your existing order which should total up to USD 199. Don’t forget USD 199 total comes with Free Fedex or equivalent shipping and yes, this will also include one year of free membership to our Darjeeling Tea Club. Satisfied? How are you helping them – You buy the teas, we send you the tea cozies free. Our buying of tea cozies is indirectly your buying of the tea cozies and a direct support to Hayden Hall. And not to forget that all our teas are on sale at the moment!

(I visited Hayden Hall some days ago to place the tea cozies order and met Miss Radha, one of the main Hayden Hall social worker. It was a tremendous feeling talking about all things they are doing for the poor women folk. A visit to their 100% Fairtrade shop was just overwhelming. Meeting the actual women folk doing their daily jobs was like getting in touch with poverty trying to make a living – despite all their worries, very jovial women, always happy!)

Our Facebook Page:
Lately Facebook has been our regular update page and all things new are updated instantly. So if you have a facebook profile, you can catch us here! Thanks to Facebook for providing such a magnificent service. Our profile here!

Closing Note:
This year’s tea season’s been with up and down initially with the starting of First Flush and the hectic sourcing from the low production was difficult, but we thank God and luck that our pursuit for quality teas got fulfilled. We will be striving for the best First Flush teas next year and hope the weather conditions do peak up for the peak quality teas.

Some Hayden Hall Photos that I clicked when I visited them:

You can visit Hayden Hall’s official site at – www.haydenhall.org

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Second Flush 2009 Darjeeling Teas Discount offer on now

By on November 10, 2009 in Autumn Flush, darjeeling second flush, darjeeling second flush tea, Darjeeling Tea Offers, Darjeeling Tea Updates, New Tea Arrivals, Second Flush

Just to let you know, if you are not aware, that the period of four months “no discount offer” on our Second Flush Darjeeling Teas from 2009 is finally over. Its been a couple of days that the offer is on, just that my lazy habit of not updating the blog got the best of me. There is about 20-30% discount going on, but some teas are already gone. Click here for the Second Flush teas if interested.

Anyways, the leaves are changing and after the big Second Flush tea season, Autumn is here. We have already purchased some Autumnal teas and waiting for some to arrive soon. As soon as its visible inside our store, the teas will be updated for purchase on site.

I would like to thank all for your patience and the trust laid upon us. We try our best to procure the best for you and hope you guys are liking it.

Its always a good feeling to know that the teas we choose, buy and in-turn sell, gets liked by tea lovers around.

Though I try to update this blog, the frequency of posts are pale. We have our Thunderbolt Tea page on Facebook where we (I) update often. You can add me (personal profile) as well which is http://www.facebook.com/darjeelingteas

Thanks to all who have posted reviews about our teas on their blogs, site etc. Much obliged and appreciated!!

Good Day and Happy Tea Sipping!

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Our Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009 selection

By on June 24, 2009 in darjeeling second flush, darjeeling second flush tea, New Tea Arrivals, Second Flush

2nd_flush_darjeeling_tea_1st Yes, new 2009 Second Flush tea procurement is almost over, a few samples are still popping and we will definitely taste it – if we like the quality we will buy, if not just discard it! Anyways, the fine selection of Second Flush Darjeeling Teas from 2009 has now been updated to our site and you can now purchase it online.

‘Patience a Virtue’ for Second Flush purchase this year
This year, the First Flush nearly got a barren look, but the weather supported at the right time. The tea leaves were on the verge of defoliation due to lack of rain. Everything was going on fine for new 2009 Second Flush and no delay was to occur, then the freaking “Aila” got bestowed, causing heavy rainfall in the Darjeeling hills which resulted in numerous landslides. Most of the tea gardens here in Darjeeling bear that landslide spot here and there, but thanks to the size of the tea gardens here in Darjeeling – it’s just not a small hill but numerous hills combined into one tea garden. Until first week of June, the teas we tasted were in between the two flushes and had a mix character possessing both First Flush and Second Flush character – thin liquor with no body, infused leaves still had that green effect and the taste still very astringent as first flush. However, when it comes to thin liquor, some second flush clonals do tend to be light, but the various other characteristics speak prominently of Second Flush. If you have hurried and purchased a Second Flush product processed earlier than first week of June then you are most probably drinking a mix characterized cup, tagged as Second flush.

The confusion and the final verdict
While buying the Second Flush, I had to do a lot of stern tastings this year. Some teas although good were exorbitantly high priced and I had to make a choice between a few. For example, I had to make a choice between the three samples I received, namely Puttabong Clonal Delight, Castleton Moonlight and Arya Ruby (Tippy) – All seem to be good teas, but Arya is Arya when it comes to competition – it was the forerunner. Castleton Moonlight and Arya Ruby got the same bid price, but quality wise, Arya Ruby won hands down, so Castleton Moonlight got chucked out. Now, came Puttabong Clonal Delight and Arya Ruby – Puttabong Clonal Delight seems to be nice and came near to the Ruby phenomena, but got chucked out due to its exorbitant price – Lesser than Ruby in quality, but higher than Ruby in price – Puttabong Clonal Delight got the kick out! Anyways, that’s the story of one of the choices I had to make while there are many!

Some still pending
I have been constantly contacting Castleton for Castleton Muscatel and had several chats with Mr. D.B. Gurung, the tea maker – they have a forward contract of 2500 kgs of Castleton Muscatel, but the sad thing is that the “Aila” got the production reduced. Castleton Muscatel is produced from special muscatel graded leaves and since the leaves couldn’t bloom to glory, the production got reduced. I really doubt whether the Castleton Muscatels meant for sale for other vendors including us will be of optimum quality or not. Still inquiring!!

Excellent Second Flush 2009 teas from some gardens
On the other hand, Arya, Goomtee, Risheehat and Sungma produced some excellent second flush teas worth mentioning. My fav is Arya, but Risheehat, Goomtee and Sungma won my heart this time. Sungma Clonal Wonder and Risheehat Flowery won hands down when compared to similar teas from other tea gardens. Goomtee (Muscatel Valley) is another awesome second flush tea which I couldn’t avoid buying. Arya Ruby is another tea which surprised me this time – excellent appearance, very aromatic dry leaves, full of two leaves and a bud – “tippy” is assigned this time and this highly speaks for itself. Due to abundance of tips, some amount of heavy wither and light roll, the cup is little bit lighter than the previous Rubys, giving the cup a mellow characteristics – a rare tea find with these unique Ruby characteristics.

Why we do not include Invoice nos. along with our teas?
This question has been asked by our clients and some interested tea lovers – We have our reasons for it. Yes, we do not mention any DJs, LCs or EX invoice nos. because we do some wholesaling as well and we don’t want the same DJ nos. distributed among others. Our wholesale customers complained about it. Yes, those who wholesale it and also mention their invoice nos., just google it and you will find multiple vendors with the same tea and same invoice no. – who is authentic? Our authenticity can be known by simply visiting our Facebook or twitter or twitpic page where we upload photos of various teas we receive – However, the invoice nos. are blurred out! Hope you understand it now! Maybe someday, we will exclusively have to buy a particular invoice for retail alone and that time we will definitely include the invoice nos.

What I feel about this years Second Flush Purchase:
Well, to admit frankly, though the scarcity, this is my finest line of Second Flush Darjeeling teas since the time I started my tea business and I a proud, I was lucky to get on to the right ones. I guarantee that anyone who purchases will fall in love with it – one advice though, if you love high quality, buy high quality and this is clearly marked by individual tea pricing. If you have noticed then there are really low priced teas as well on the line and this is keeping in mind for the budget conscious who simultaneously wants a good second flush Darjeeling tea. And I feel that the line of teas I have purchased this year is amongst the finest selection as far as I know. Show me a better collection if you have any. I will be surprised because being a local vendor, it was so hard to source the best :) so you can guess. Nowhere can you find this selection and the price we offer!

Anyways, I wrote this post on random, without any multiple reads and editing before publishing. Hope I am successful in conveying what I actually wanted to convey!

All teas are very limited, Hurry! Don’t ask when its already gone!

There will be no discount offers on 2nd flush 2009 teas for the next 4 months – simply for the reason: we just can’t afford to, coz the teas are freakin expensive and rare. Buy it fresh and fragrant.

Click here to go directly to Second Flush Page

And don’t forget that our recently purchased First Flush 2009 teas are on sale – Click here if you are interested!

Good Day and Happy Tea Sipping!

Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009
Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009
Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009
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Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Organic Darjeeling Tea 2009

By on June 11, 2009 in darjeeling second flush, darjeeling second flush tea, darjeeling tea tasting, New Tea Arrivals, Second Flush, Tea Reviews

Hello Friends its been long since I have personally written anything about our own teas on my blog. Usually, I do the tea tasting and the scribbling part is done by another who elaborates it – from now on I have decided that I will personally ‘ink’ the individual tea profiles both for this tea blog as well as for our sales page.

Good Second Flush 2009 Darjeeling tea is a hard find this year and I am trying my best to source the best. Production is low and the quality of tea came late. We started receiving Second Flush tea season samples from various Darjeeling tea gardens, but until mid of first week of June i.e. last week, all teas proved a big dissatisfaction. It had some body and proved to be in between First Flush and Second Flush with a characteristics mixture of both First and Second Flush, a total waste. Even Arya’s first sample they sent us was the same, but gradually seems to have improved with the providence of much needed sunlight, mist/fog, correct humidity and rain. Now its getting to its peak slowly. One of such teas manufactured and procured after mid of first week of June is “Arya SFTGFOP1”. Now this is what I call a heavenly brew.

COMMENTS ON THIS SECOND FLUSH 2009 DARJEELING TEA
Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009 Dry Tea leaves: Elongated dry tea leaves having ‘chocolate – brown’ overall appearance with considerable amount of golden tips (also known as buds and teas with lots of such tips are sometimes referred to as “tippy”) signifying ‘high quality’ Second Flush Darjeeling Tea. As soon as the pack got opened, we got an overwhelming sweet fragrance with an undertone reminiscent of the fruit plum which is also ‘musky’ (muscatel). It is a complex flowery tea with complex hints of ‘caramel like’, honey, burnt sugar, slightly nutty, buttery etc. characteristics. The tea leaves seem well rolled with correct crushes and bursts of cells bringing out the required juices much needed for tea. As a result the leaves appear well twisted with golden buds having downy hairs, giving it a curled façade which also appears to have a rich luster and a proper Second Flush bloom.

Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009 Wet (Infused) Tea leaves: Total coppery infused leaves showing the real characteristics of a pure Second Flush Darjeeling tea. The golden buds now appear to be pale yellow (dark) in color. It has a sweet aroma which is also malty or chocolaty and slightly minty cool. It has a complex blend of slightly fruity and flowery characteristics.

Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009 Cup or Tea Liquor: Again the cup bears the mark of a pure Second Flush tea with its coppery color going more towards the ‘dark red’ mark. Full bodied and smooth with negligible amount of bitterness, hardly noticeable – bitterness increases with longer steeping time. The cup is ‘brisk’ having lively characteristics which is the result of tender plucking and good calculated manufacture. It has a rich aroma which is a complex mixture of being chocolaty or malty, sugary or honey toned, fruity and nutty, buttery, musky etc. Has a rich flavor which is a result of slow growth at higher altitudes. Each sip tends to leave your mouth dry especially affecting your tongue the most and inner cheeks slightly. Has a sweet lingering after taste.

Sidenote: I did two brewings of the same tea at the same time. One I used it for tasting purpose and the other prepared it and didn’t touch it. The left alone cup even after getting totally cooled, had a long lasting aroma which is very sweet and musky. Amazing cup.

Many have asked about my tea preference relating to different tea seasons – My favorite would be Second Flush because this is what Darjeeling is famous for – ‘the musky or muscatel character’. The musky-chocolaty aroma and taste is what I always yearn for. Though First Flush teas cannot be neglected, my favorite season would be Second Flush. This is my favorite but this again cannot be everybody’s favorite as the polity of individual palate comes into play. The worst tea can prove the best and the best can be reviewed into worse – ones own palate is the sole judge here.

Well I am tasting more of Second Flush 2009 Darjeeling Teas at the moment – looking for high end as well as some value for money teas, but in good quality. Some good teas are underrated due to the underrated name of that particular tea garden and its possible to find a gem hidden, yearning to be embraced and appreciated. Such was the case with First Flush 2009 Giddapahar tea. Will have to consider our clients who wouldn’t want to spend more, but simultaneously get a good second flush.

Until then, Happy Tea Sipping!

infused_tea_leaves_n_plants Oh lastly, I was about to throw away the infused leaves and my mother exclaimed – “Don’t throw that away, you are wasting it, I need it for my plants growth!”. For years she has been using these infused leaves to add extra ingredients to her plant soil – really don’t know the scientific reason for it, but guess, I can hear from you all right under this post. All I know is that this trend is been handed over from one generation to another and especially the women folk has been practising this and surprisingly, the plants bloom into gorgeous flowers. I like tea drinking and tasting, not much of a man who has gone deep into the acts of infused leaves :)

This Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush organic tea has been updated to our sales page and if you are interested – get it here!. This is a limited edition tea :) Don’t ask me when its gone, as is always the case with good teas!! Just don’t be left out or deprived of the creams of Darjeeling!

arya tea estate
Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009
arya tea estate
First Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009 Arya Tea - organic Tea
Arya Tea Estate organic tea - Arya SFTGFOP1 China 2009
arya tea estate
arya tea estate
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Little more of Darjeeling Teas to You!

By on May 14, 2009 in darjeeling second flush, darjeeling second flush tea, Darjeeling Tea Offers, First Flush, New Tea Arrivals

Hello Friends, the big Spring season has ended and the bushes are now gearing up for the next big season i.e. Second Flush 2009. Darjeeling teas are known mainly for its First and Second Flush when all seem busy – the tea gardens, tea vendors like us and even tea connoisseurs seeking, searching and buying their favorite Darjeeling brews! Autumn also does play an important role, but in comparison is less popular. This statement is however, contradictory because there are tea connoisseurs who love Autumnal Darjeeling teas more than First and Second Flush. This is again a concern of individual palate and liking.

Anyways, won’t delve into the matter more, just wanted to inform you that we are giving away an Exclusive discount offer on our New First Flush 2009 teas for a limited amount of time – Just for 14 days – 20% Flat discount – Free Shipping on orders above USD49. Where can you get discounts on the new arrivals? Well, its right under your nose on Thunderbolt Tea’s website.

So Hurry, its just for 14 days and some of the teas are very very limited.

Happy Darjeeling Tea shopping!

Direct Link to First Flush Darjeeling Teas 2009

PS. I just returned from a visit to some of the tea gardens here in Darjeeling. Will update about it soon, it was a marvelous experience.

Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009
Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009
Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009
First FLush Darjeeling Tea 2009
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Some Darjeeling Tea tasting – First Flush 2009

By on May 7, 2009 in darjeeling tea tasting, First Flush, New Tea Arrivals

Did a regular round of tea tasting of available Darjeeling Teas First Flush 2009. If I haven’t mentioned then new 2009 Darjeeling First Flush are in stock apart from the teas which are laid on our site on the 2009 first flush page.

Took out four teas for this tea tasting session namely Arya FTGFOP1 Clonal, Puttabong Clonal Classic, Singell Tippy Green and Giddapahar “China wiry tippy” (thats the name given).

Puttabong Clonal Classic FF 09

All seem to have ‘light and bright’ cup except for Arya FTGFOP1 Clonal which resembles the characteristics of Ruby, slightly darker cup. The fruity and flowery characteristics seem dominant in all with some amount of astringency (steep less if you don’t like this) – lesser in clonals. Puttabong has an excellent sweet aftertaste that keeps lingering. Arya Clonal has an excellent malty and fruity flavor.

The Singell Tippy Green is one that is totally different from the rest. It is grassy and the dry leaves are green with shiny hairs – 99% buds. Seems as if its unprocessed n the leaves are at its natural state – God knows:) Frankly if you don’t like the grassy taste, avoid this, but its state boasts of abundance of antioxidants!

Darjeeling Tea tasting

All teas are different with different characteristics which is unmatched when compared to each other. To conclude and hail one as superior to the other is difficult because of its own unique individual characteristics which is not found in the other – complexity rules and you are stuck in that endless time calculating and contrasting characteristics. But if you want my taste buds to create a difference, then my olfactory speaks for Arya FTGFOP1 Clonal and Puttabong. Please remember, the conclusion given here is according to my liking, which can have a difference of opinion when others taste it.

Darjeeling Tea tasting
Darjeeling Tea tasting
Singell Tippy Green

Its your palate, you decide!

Oh, our tea company is about to give an unbelievable offer on the new First Flush Darjeeling Teas 2009, hang on and we will update. Signing up for our mailing list can make us inform you of the update through mail, otherwise you have to keep track of this blog :)

Darjeeling Tea tasting
Darjeeling Tea tasting
Darjeeling Tea tasting
First FLush Darjeeling Tea 2009
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