Thunderbolt Tea

Not long ago I received my annual order of Darjeeling teas from Thunderbolt Tea.

It is always so exciting to get to taste this years teas from India.

You will notice they are either first or second flush.

The first flush is the early spring, first plucking.

You guessed it then, the second flush is later spring plucking.
I invited a few friends to come and help me taste in the garden house.

My tasting notes for Thunderbolt Tea:
Darjeeling is sometimes referred to as the land of thunderbolts,
sitting up against the Himalayan mountains.

Arya Diamond (Gold Edition) 2nd flush, 2019

Slight sweet with a back of citrus tang.

Turzum Himalayan Mystic (LC05) First Flush, 2018

Yumm! Light delight! Oten I compare some top Darjeelings to oolongs,

but instead of the floral I taste in Taiwanese oolongs I taste more fruity in this tea.

Turzum Himalayan Mystic (DJ-47) Second Flush, 2018

Not the lightness of a moonlight, but a more musky flavor

with still a touch of a citrus, fruity after taste.

Sungma Organic Musk (DJ-146) Second Flush, 2018

Generally I go for a light spring Darjeeling, but decided to try a "musk".

I definitely could taste the muskiness in this tea and decided it made a nice

fall tea to head into cooler days. Not quite sure how to describe "musk",

it is a bit more black than the lighter moonlights. It tastes of autumn grapes

at the front of the mouth and doesn't linger like some teas do.

The two steeped teas in this picture are on the left the Castleton Moonlight 2nd flush
and on the right the Castleton Moolight 1st flush. Even the color is different.

Castleton Moonlight (DJ-248) Second Flush,  2019

Though I will say this is my second favorite, it is the first flush that delights me.

Both are light, more like a oolong tea, but still there is something different that 

comes from the hills of India. A bit musky, a bit citrus, almost like a
lovely gypsy dancing in the moonlight and incense following through the air.

Castleton Moonlight (DF-4) First Flush, 2019

This tea tops my list of favorites. When I opened the tea the scent just takes my breathe away.

How can I even explain, but the sweetness, the fresh blossom just delight me. It just speaks

to me of springtime steeped in the sun and sipped in my cup. As I shared it with friends, it

reminded them of grapefruit juice, a touch of citrus, sunshine and a bit sultry.

And just because we must always have flowers to enjoy when tasting,
there were flower.

For those of you tea connoisseurs, I hope you love Darjeeling teas as I do.
For those of you that just dip a teabag from time to time, there is delight in savoring
a good quality tea when given the chance. Come by and I will make you a good cup of tea.