52 Tasting Notes
The second infusion of this tea was quite good. I also did a third and even a fourth infusion of this tea. Strangely, it now is much darker and tastes more like the black teas I’ve been drinking. This could be byproduct of the tannin and buildup in the Breville tea carafe, but it is odd. It also could be related to the longer steeping times I did because I was doing the extra infusions. I much preferred this when it looked, smelled, and tasted like a green tea. I’ll have to check this again in the future.
Preparation
I’ve been adapting to the green teas, but I really like this one. I brewed it as suggested by The Cultured Cup with tea teaspoons per cup of tea at 175 F for 3 minutes. I find it to be a wonderful cup of tea. The nutty flavors are very pronouced in the first cup. The aroma of the tea before it brewed was very grassy. The tea itself has a thick feel on my tongue.
Preparation
I’ve had the second and third infusions of this tea. I increased the steep time by thirty seconds for the second infusion and another thirty seconds for the third infusion. I preferred the second of the three, but it wasn’t a “knock your socks off” tea. It was very good, but not something that I have to eventually have in what I foresee as less than ten teas in my cupboard – especially at the higher price of this tea.
Preparation
As you may know, Darjeeling has been a prized black tea, known by many as the “champagne” of teas. When properly brewed, Darjeelings yield a thin-bodied, light-colored tea with a floral aroma. and a musky spiciness referred to as “muscatel.” Note that Darjeelings are not 100% oxidized (typically 90%), so they are not fully black teas and have oolong characteristics – and are not as bold as other blacks.
The Margaret’s Hope Darjeeling comes from a tea estate that gets its name from a memorable story. A tea planter was visiting his estate in India the early 1900s with his daughter Margaret. She fell in love with the tea gardens hoped to return one day and spend the rest of her life there. However, on the voyage home, she tragically died at sea. Her grieving father named the estate Margaret’s Hope in memory of his daughter and her dream.
The Darjeeling from Margaret’s Hope has also been reported to age well, developing a welcoming sweetness with a more subdued Darjeeling scent over two to five years. This particular leaf is graded FTGFOP, Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, a very high grade of tea leaf sought by tea connoisseurs`. Hence, it’s higher than average price.
For a bolder-tasting Darjeeling, you might consider our Organic Darjeeling, which has a much strong flavor profile.
Peter Martino, CEO
Capital Teas, LLC
Thanks for your input, Peter. I use a Breville tea maker, so I expect that my teas generally should be “properly brewed.” I did make the effort to clean my tea maker well yesterday and today, so I’ll try the Mararet’s Hope again soon.
I noticed that one of my green teas was a little brown in color, especially after the second infusion. So, I’m hopeful that I"m back to a better cup of tea now. I’ll post more comments later in the week.
I’ll also consider the Organic Darjelling. Thanks again for your information.
This is very good, but at 3 minutes I think it was understeeped. It did not have the up front tannins that I associate with Darjeeling teas, but I did experience some of the “normal” dryness I associate with the tannins in tea. This is a wonderful tea – I’m looking forward to a second infusion later.
Preparation
Although I usually dislike flavored teas, I find the Goji Berry and other flavors in this to be very good. They are not overpowering and I like the fact that it doesn’t have caffeine. This makes it a good afternoon tea, but because I can easily get a second and third infusion on it, I sometimes have to have it the next morning or brew my morning tea another way. This is billed as “A Cup of Value” from The Cultured Cup – I think it is a good value.
