2nd flush darjeeling tea 2009

Tag Archives | 2nd flush darjeeling tea 2009

Tea offer on two Second Flush Darjeeling Teas

By admin on September 4, 2009 in darjeeling second flush, darjeeling second flush tea, Darjeeling Tea Offers

Its a great pleasure to announce that we are now giving away an incredible offer on our newly purchased two teas, namely Arya GFTGFOP1 Green Tea (EX – 42) and Giddapahar Musk (DJ 29). No where can you find these teas at the price we are offering.

Reason for offer – definitely good Darjeeling teas, but just that we have extra huge sacks in our storeroom. We have got one extra invoice of Giddapahar Musk (DJ 29), the previous invoice already sold. Arya Green Tea (EX 42) – some 60 more kgs lying with us.

Direct Link to page: Click Here!

If you are a wholesale buyer, then please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are giving away this tea with just a marginal profit. You can write to us at wholesale[at]thunderbolttea.com

Comments { 0 }

Darjeeling, pilgrimage and tea

By admin on August 1, 2009 in darjeeling second flush, darjeeling second flush tea, Personal Ramblings, Second Flush

I really don’t know why when it comes to Darjeeling Tea, it always has to hit the newswires as it is happening this year. Are the Gods marketing Darjeelings? – dart out ‘controversial’, end up ‘less produced’ and finally get expressed into ‘higher price’. Surely ‘Gods’ referred, as most of the mentioned phenomenal actions were nature’s sketch and the common man could do nothing – Just perceive being devastated and the least that could be done as a performance was to collect the debris and reflect back on the original structure which was there. And on top of this, man made gestures splinter in between, making everything halt at a standstill – a complete cripple – another addition of lovely inconvenience. Does God want annihilation or want us to resurrect and ponder – was that a starting sign of the much conversed ‘global warming’ in the hills? Anything ‘Darjeeling Tea’ inks the headlines!

Darjeeling is always considered the abode of Gods and is surely mystical – The Land of the Thunderbolt (that’s the reason why we christened our company “Thunderbolt Tea”). With so many temples, monasteries, churches and mosques, it also holds an upright position to be an ideal pilgrimage.

Darjeeling Observatory Hill - Hindu and Buddhist temple

The abode never got abandoned and Gods too got the nostalgia, as all do, even if you have visited once. Maybe this has got a contributing factor in the production of Darjeeling Tea as well – no matter how bad the natural calamities hover around, there is always a heap of excellent quality Darjeeling Tea lying in one corner of a particular tea factory. Just needs some vigorous sourcing and of course a fat wallet to transfer it to ones warehouse. I simply burst into tears when a new buying for quality tea is scheduled on the chart.

For a vendor like me, it was tough and still is when ailing factors crop up. I have noticed that tea trade, specially relating to Darjeeling Tea is as complex as the very ‘fruity and nutty’ cup itself. It is considered best to buy Darjeelings during the peak time, for instance May for Second Flush, but what would have happened if I had hurried this Second Flush season (when Aila was at work)? – I would have bought “low quality at a high price”, which would have resulted in “complaints + loss”. Initially too much rain havocked the tea plants draining every mineral out of it. Again the season was cut short resulting in less production. After first week of June, the quality started to revive due to favorable weather conditions. So the only means through which I could procure good Second Flush was through constant tea tasting of tea samples sent by tea gardens. Some indulged traveling straight to them. Now that it is over and when pondered upon, I feel it was tiring and hectic but simultaneously, was fun. It is always great to do a job if one finds passion hidden in it. The learning phase is never over and the curiosity glides on and on.

After my discovery of Twitter and Facebook, the thought of being the “only ghost who drinks tea” miraculously compounded into a sigh of relief – I found other like minded ghosts who drank and lived tea! My tea friends!! “I am glad I found you all!” My life is getting liquefied trying to wade through the mysterious paths of tea and has infused into ‘total tea’ – a passion and a bread earner. If you cut me, I will blood out tea (thats an exaggeration hehe). But seriously, on a simpler note, I will never regret falling in love with it! Will I get over it? Guess not – the lovely addiction is so intense that I can live drinking it

Along with my very own, I can very well perceive that fellow tea lovers are developing their niche Darjeeling palate. Darjeelings are tender when it comes to preparing and preparing should be done along the lines of ones palate likings – thats what I found out so far. Some like the astringent character while some hate it and this is the reason why I wouldn’t want to advice a standardized form of Darjeeling Tea tasting procedure (specially steeping timings). But the art is slowly evolving and it is good news that Darjeeling now is getting diversified into making varied types of teas, apart from the traditional black, which would justify every palate. Like for instance I did some purchasing of Darjeeling greens and oolongs from Arya. Some say that Darjeeling should stick to black, but apart from black, have we tried anything else? There is no harm in exploring and yes, exploring in the right manner as Arya is doing. Not by making greens during the off or low quality season to push sales; this obviously will result in disappointment and the true hope of an authentic Darjeeling green can never be acquired.

When it comes to Darjeeling Tea seasons, only the three famed namely the First, Second and Autumn Flush are highlighted leaving the ‘in between’ or monsoon flush behind. Most of us even don’t know about it. Well there are a few reasons for that; monsoons mean rain with little sunshine and rains more than the required amount is really a menace in processing tea. It has been passed on from our ancestors that too much rain will wipe off the real taste and guess they are absolutely right – too much of rain occurring on a slope, drains away the much needed ingredients and is somewhat tasteless. Tea is not the only plant, but all plants, vegetables etc. gets affected, except for some exceptionals which are destined to grow during the monsoons only. I got some tea samples (monsoon teas), but no offence, it really didn’t have the essential juice to convince me. It was rather flat with very little aroma Darjeeling is famous for. Maybe I have missed out on a few good ones, but every year, monsoon teas have proved to be a disappointment (to me). During this season, the prices are rock bottom and why do you think that a tea fetching a price tag of USD 100 in the previous main flush is just 10 now? The quality is the main reason. I have skipped it every year and will be skipping this year too and instead concentrate on the upcoming Autumnal teas. Wouldn’t want to waste my money as well as my clients.

Anyways, I know this post is haphazard and so the apt title entitled. I will try to be more systematized and focused. Until then, Happy Tea Sipping!!!

Comments { 0 }

Our Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009 selection

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

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!

Comments { 4 }

Goomtee Tea Estate visit for Darjeeling Second Flush Tea 2009

By admin on June 16, 2009 in darjeeling second flush, darjeeling second flush tea, Personal Ramblings, Second Flush

Darjeeling Second Flush teas are a real scarcity at the moment and if you look around, u can hardly find any vendor selling it. Being here in Darjeeling is easy to procure, but doesn’t help this time because the teas are very limited in the tea estates itself.

I had tasted some excellent Goomtee tea samples and especially liked their teas from their organic section known as “Muscatel Valley”. Though the samples I received had already gone, I wanted to visit the garden to taste more if there were any similar teas left.

On 14th I took a ride till Mahanadi where Goomtee Tea Estate is located. Its on the way to Siliguri from Darjeeling while plying on the main road (there are shortcut routes to Siliguri, 75 km from Darjeeling). Siliguri is the first flat plain you will meet while heading down from the hills. Its like any other Indian city. Tindharia (DHR workshop) is very near to Goomtee.

Goomtee is located at a picturesque land where Jungpana falls in the vicinity and is visible from the estate. The history of Goomtee dates back to 1899 when a Briton, Mr. Henry Montgomery Lennox first planted the garden. The tea estate then passed on to several other hands like the Rana family of Nepal after World War II. Current management of Goomtee is run by “Goomtee Group of Tea Farms” with Mr. Ashok Kumar as the ‘Managing Partner’. Mr. Sagar Rawat is the manager and tea maker of Goomtee at present – an excellent tea maker who was previously with Margaret’s Hope Tea Garden. The tea estate avails tea lovers as well as fellow tourists to stay at Goomtee and witness various aspects of tea processing, indulge in the tea tasting, experience the colonial décor and above all feel the absolute link with nature far far away from the maddening crowd and the hustle and bustle of a crowded town or city. It’s a tremendous experience.

Well that was some Goomtee introduction. The reason I visited the garden was procurement of 2009 Second Flush Darjeeling teas. On arrival at Goomtee, I met Mr. Sagar Rawat, the manager who was kind enough to offer me a cup of tea and some cookies at his residential bungalow in the garden – after a long ride from Darjeeling, I needed to rest for a while, wipe my sweat out and of course a cup of fresh Darjeeling tea. After a little chat with his wife and kid, we headed to the factory to do the real thing – ‘tea tasting’. I had brought the sample along with me which I had liked.

Two tea garden assistants were called in to prepare the tea and seven cups were laid. Luckily the sample which I had liked was with them and this two was included in the tasting line – the sample I had brought didn’t have to come out from my bag. There were two light liquored teas, one white and one green, but my finding was to get a pure second flush character-oriented Darjeeling tea. The white and green teas were excellent, but the sample I had liked, prevailed superior. Its so hard to judge when similar grades and that too from the same garden are laid and you are tasting them one after another. But ultimately, the Muscatel Valley which I had liked prevailed in superiority.

While tasting the teas, Mr. Ashok Kumar, Managing Partner of Goomtee, came in and joined the tasting session. He is a very friendly person and loves tea like anything.

Ashok Kumar, Managing Partner, Goomtee Tea Estate

My liking was the tea which I had sampled earlier – I asked Mr. Rawat whether this tea could be got from the buyer who took it. The tea was taken by some tea company in Kolkata named as “Elite” and was shipped just a day ago from the tea garden after I reached. Mr. Rawat called up Kolkata in front of me and the deal was fixed. If I had visited a little earlier, this hassle wouldn’t have existed. Frankly, re-buying resulted in paying 5% commission to the company, but just could settle for a lesser grade. The shipped tea had just reached Siliguri and now is being shipped back to our premises – lucky me! Its entering tomorrow.

Now this tea I bought is called “Goomtee (Muscatel Valley) FTGFOP1”. Goomtee is a large tea estate and has got different sections mostly planted with China hybrid tea bushes. This tea is from their finest organic section called “Muscatel Valley” under their “Majhua Division” at an altitude over 4500 ft. The word ‘Majhua’ is nostalgic to me because my great great grandfathers were tea laborers in this tea estate. My father still has his ancestral home at Chimney, a few kms away from Majhua, and we visit the place once in a year during the festival season. My father was brought up there; interesting isn’t it? All raw organic tea leaves brought from this Muscatel Valley section are processed separately in the Goomtee tea factory following ISO 9001 and HACCP standards.

Goomtee is a Fairtrade tea garden where workers are given utmost care and concern. No child workers are employed and the existing workers receive good medical facilities, good remuneration, good food supply at subsidized rates, proper living standards, school facilities for children etc. The tea I bought is a Fairtrade Tea So buy it hehe!

Mr. Sagar Rawat generously invited me for another round of tea at his place. His daughter ‘Ananya’ is a cute little duckling. Mr. Rawat had surprised me before when he was with Margaret’s Hope with his creations like the Margaret’s Hope Pearls. Asked if he could make some Goomtee Pearls for me. Lets see! It’s a 80% ‘yes’. Good person and an experienced and remarkable tea maker. Without a proper tea maker, the best of raw tea leaves can result in the worst of ‘finished product’. Thanks Mr. Rawat, if you are reading this, for your hospitality, won’t forget!

Its not updated yet to our site. Please don’t hurry, I am bouncing from one garden to another to get the best and you will sip the best. Until then Happy Tea Sipping! Thanks for your patience!! Delay in procuring – its not us, blame the weather, blame Aila

Will comment on the tea characteristics later, on this blog.

You can view rest of the photos below:

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Comments { 0 }

Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Organic Darjeeling Tea 2009

By admin 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
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.

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.

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!

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!

Comments { 0 }

Our Darjeeling Tea reviewed by Tea Lovers

By admin on June 9, 2009 in darjeeling second flush, darjeeling second flush tea, First Flush, Tea Reviews

I read it and thought you might be interested in reading it. Some of our teas are reviewed by “TeaViews” at Teaviews.com. I am providing links to two of our teas – Darjeeling First Flush 2009 reviews:

Arya SFTGFOP1: Reviewed by Steven who tags it as “The tea packs a kick on second cup, which as I’ve said before, is the “sweet spot” in any pot. The brightness is such a serious part of this tea!” Steven rates this tea 8 out of 10. Found out Steven also has his personal blog about tea which he calls 39Steeps. Click here for review

Giddapahar Ch. Wiry Tippy: Reviewed by Vanessa who tags it as “The flavor of this tea is complex, and requires a little concentration to fully appreciate it. This is an excellent Darjeeling and one that you are not likely to encounter every day.” Vanessa rates this tea 8.5 out of 10. Click here for review

Puttabong SFTGFOP1: Reviewed by Vanessa who tags it as “Tastewise, this is a very complex tea which requires some concentration; this tea is probably best suited to an alert and focused drinker. Flavors of fruit, flowers, butter, nuts, mint, and grass/earth were all present. However the problem with this tea was that it was extremely bitter, as in bitter enough to negate many of the positive attributes.” Vanessa rates this tea 5.5 out of 10. Click here for review

Now talking of Second Flush 2009 Darjeeling Teas, sincerely, its a tough find this year. Teas are available (less is appropriate), but for us picking or purchasing it with the thought of its “unavailability” can result in a disaster. Pickings are done after careful tasting. For us hurrying can prove fatal at the moment. This is all due to the adverse weather conditions recently faced by Darjeeling Tea gardens. Will blog more about this later. In the meantime, enjoy the reviews done at Teaviews.com

Comments { 2 }

1 2 Next →

Navigation

Tea offer on two Second Flush Darjeeling Teas

Darjeeling, pilgrimage and tea

Our Second Flush Darjeeling Tea 2009 selection

Goomtee Tea Estate visit for Darjeeling Second Flush Tea 2009

Arya SFTGFOP1 Second Flush Organic Darjeeling Tea 2009

Our Darjeeling Tea reviewed by Tea Lovers

About

Join Thunderbolt Tea on Facebook

Tweets

Archives