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Have been doing thunderdome rounds between 2 Uptons at a time. Drank this yesterday afternoon when Steepster was down, comparing it to Upton’s other Thurbo 1st flush. And I was doing a darjeeling-a-thon the whole day; later I also compared two Thurbo 2nd flushes and then moved on to the Margaret’s Hopes.

These are both very light and gentle, yet still with lots of beautiful, feminine, light-as-air flavor (bless darjeelings!). They both brew up a pretty burnt gold/blonde wood hue. Definitely would not drink either of these with milk or sugar.

This one’s rounder, smoother, somehow a bit richer and silkier. But I like the character of the other one better for whatever reason. More interesting somehow, and more aligned with my general tastes.

Have been doing thunderdome rounds between 2 Uptons at a time. Drank this yesterday afternoon when Steepster was down, comparing it to Upton’s other Thurbo 1st flush. And I was doing a darjeeling-a-thon the whole day; later I compared two Thurbo 2nd flushes and then moved on to the Margaret’s Hopes.

These are both very light and gentle, yet still with lots of beautiful, feminine, light-as-air flavor (bless darjeelings!). They both brew up a pretty burnt gold/blonde wood hue. Definitely would not drink either of these with milk or sugar.

This one’s more muscatel, more flowery, more refreshing. Pretty sure I like it slightly better, but they’re both good! A tad more astringent, but that is not saying much as these are both so delicate and gentle astringency isn’t an issue.

Have been doing thunderdome rounds between 2 Uptons at a time. Drank this yesterday afternoon when Steepster was down, comparing it to Upton’s Margaret’s Hope 2nd flush White Delight. And I was doing a darjeeling-a-thon the whole day; I compared two Thurbo 1st flushes and later two Thurbo 2nd flushes and then moved on to the Margaret’s Hopes.

Looks the part of a 2nd flush darjeeling in the cup, that pretty reddish brown. Smells lovely dry, that oh so slight musky perfume thing.

I really like the way this smells both dry and in the cup. Get the feeling I don’t quite love it in the cup as much as the winning 2nd flush Thurbo though. More astringent, which is eh, but also has a gentle lingering sort of…rooty, slightly bitter flavor that is actually quite good, and doesn’t show up at first, it takes a bit. That part’s cool. Earthy, a bit mineral/granite-y, kind of like soil, some rootiness. A nice vegetal flavor eventually shows up too, and as it cools a sweetness comes in at the finish of the swallow that’s nicely balanced with the other stuff.

So. It’s slightly astringent for my tastes, but the other stuff almost kinda makes up for it…complex and subtle, the way darjeelings are wont to be. I would drink it again…it’s not an easygoing drink-while-distracted-or-in-need-of-babying-comfort cup, but an interesting, fun-to-experience-its-nuances thing. The astringency is what keeps it from being something I could pick as my everyday-like-a-favorite-pair-of-jeans,-pick-only-one darjeeling.

Have been doing thunderdome rounds between 2 Uptons at a time. Drank this yesterday afternoon when Steepster was down, comparing it to Upton’s Margaret’s Hope 2nd flush muscatel (DJ-191).

Predictably (given its name) much lighter, a goldish color. The smell is a little grassy and more herbal than the Margaret’s Hope Muscatel, and the leaves look it, too—longer, greener. This is a nice change of pace for darjeelings—it’s like a cross between a 1st flush Thurbo darjeeling (or a Nepali like a Fikkal) with white tea, one with jasmine. It’s very delicate. I like it, but I’m not sure I prefer it over, say, a 1st flush darjeeling. It’s very floral in a gentle way without being terribly sweet. Actually, as it cools it begins to taste sweeter and nuttier…the longer I drink this the more I like it. I don’t think given where I am general flavor preference-wise right now it’d be a regular tea yet, but I would happily order it in small doses and occasionally enjoy it when I want something light and feminine like a white but also am jonesing for my regular darjeeling fix.

Towards the end I appreciate more and more how it’s rather smooth, almost slightly creamy. Kind of has a sweet almond thing going once tepid.

General notes, not comparing just these two but for the whole day’s darjeeling-a-thon (I compared two Thurbo 1st flushes and later two Thurbo 2nd flushes and then moved on to the Margaret’s Hopes):
In general, at first while piping hot both of these seem gentler in terms of “darjeeling characteristics” than the 2nd flush Thurbo I liked best among all the Thurbos (1st and 2nd flushes). It would probably be a good idea at some point to compare the White Delight with my favored 1st flush Thurbo from earlier and decide which I like best—I have a feeling it’d be the Thurbo.

This is ridiculously delicious, and I’m not normally as into whites or greens as strong black teas. The dry leaves smell very strongly of melon, and it’s wonderful; I just wanted to hover at the kitchen counter smelling them, ha. As a visual bonus, the flowers in the blend are really beautiful and vibrant. Brewed I actually taste honeydew melon as much as cantaloupe—and for me that is brilliant news, because I vastly prefer honeydew! It has that flowery quality good ripe melons have, but it’s also still refreshing and not too too sweet, like a good honeydew. Good and refreshing without, but the tiniest pinch of sugar—just a few granules!—makes it really sing; you get the full heady “ripe fruit” experience. The silky creamy mouthfeel comes in at the end, which is a wonderful surprise. It resteeps OK, not amazing but not bad either (not as good as the first go-round, but drinkable). It’s also strangely delicious cold, which makes me wonder about iced tea possibilities this summer (would be great because melon cocktails would be lovely but I dislike all of the melon liqueurs currently on the market for tasting too sweet and fake).

I love this; I’m pretty certain it is now my favorite, go-to white. Awesome afternoon/pre-dinner tea. Even my husband, who is not a tea drinker, likes it—he stole my last cup from me when he thought he’d just give it a taste out of curiosity, ha.

Really digging how floral and sweet perfume-y, not just grape-y, the dry leaves smell, indeed like a lovely chilled wine. Brewing and in the cup the sweet floral quality turns a bit musky in a good way, continuing the perfume element. Impressed and pleased this isn’t more astringent.

Funny enough, I seem to have a conditioned mental block to drinking more than a cup of this in one sitting—I guess I inevitably connect it to drinking a lot of wine really fast, and how my body doesn’t like the idea of that.

It’s a shame this isn’t less caffeinated, because it’d be a lovely way to have a nightcap sort of relaxation beverage without, you know, the icky dehydration and mouthfeel when you wake up the next morning. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with any herbal/tisane wine “teas”—New Mexico Tea Company’s, Joy’s Teaspoon’s, and Red Leaf Tea’s all have tea leaf bases as well. I do reckon it would be refreshing iced in hot weather and possibly blended with other flavors, sort of like a wine tea summer spritzer “cocktail” thing, which might be good for a party on the patio in that it’d pick you up (instead of make you sleepy, which wine does to me) and be less dehydrating.

Now I’m wondering if it’d make a good partner with certain foods. Hm…

Big fan of the way this smells brewing and in the cup, sweet and comforting without being saccharine or one-note. Sorta makes me think of those chewy flat perfectly round cookies with the big round flecks of sugar on top that you can get at the supermarket, the ones that come in a paper carton wrapped in plastic like Thomas english muffins do, with red labeling…does anyone know what I mean? G’ah, that’s going to drive me crazy. [EDIT: Archway! Yes!] Anyway, it reminds me a bit of those, the way there’s some spice. And you can totally smell and taste the raisin too; it has a squidgy, melty, baked element to it that makes it yummy. Very comforting.

Huh, on my second cup I added a bit of raw sugar and a tiny splash of milk, and now I can taste the oats, they come out more. Kinda makes me appreciate the tea more.

Looks fairly pale in the cup, and the flavor isn’t nearly as strong as the smell (but the smell is so pleasant I almost don’t care). I think next time I may brew a minute longer.

EDIT: this has really grown on me. The first couple times I was kind of disappointed at how the flavor didn’t live up to the delicious aroma, but clearly the subtlety of the taste has worked its magic on me slowly because the past 2 nights just as I think I’m done for the night I get this gnawing urge to brew myself a cup specifically of this as a pre-bedtime snack, caffeine be darned. And it’s really been hitting the spot, I must say. The fact I keep craving it is, uh, telling, ha.

Strongly citrus aroma. I think I’m beginning to get a general sense of CT’s stuff now—the flavors are nice, but what I’m finding disappointing is the black tea base they tend to use in everything. It’s not terrible but it’s not flavorful or smooth enough in its own right, and the authentic but light flavors they build over it are usually not quite enough compensation to push any given tea of theirs into the “would definitely buy again” zone.

I do appreciate the way the floral notes come in later in the swallow, after the citrus, and linger.

This smells wonderful and of course looks a lot of fun with all of those whole nut pieces…not as disappointing as some other David’s dessert-flavored stuff that sounds like heaven but then is kind of weak with a meh base (Chocolate Chili Chai, for example).

Rich and creamy enough it doesn’t need milk or sugar (really, after finishing this cup and preparing dinner like an hour later I was still marveling at how rich and filling it was). Nice with a biscuit! Pretty lovely decadent-tasting afternoon tea break.

One of the better David’s offerings, closer to what American Tea Room delivers.

Smells beyond incredible dry—like comforting sweet chocolate. Brewing it also smells chocolate-y, and once in the cup initially it takes on a toasted sugar and buckwheat-y (or is it oats, or barley? Barley, that’s it!) dimension. After it cools a while it starts to taste a little bit like chicory coffee (in a delightful way!). It’s amazing how much flavor is artfully packed in these tea leaves alone, that it isn’t a blend or flavored or anything. As a bonus, somehow despite having all of these elements it isn’t overpowering, imbalanced, or at all bitter (especially impressive since it has that beer-ish malt/toasted grain thing going on!). Pretty much perfect. The leaves are also pretty gorgeous once they expand.

And ah, that rare bird, a black tea that tastes really good, and also markedly different (in a good way!), upon resteep! It does indeed pick up a warm cinnamon aroma and flavor while the chocolate recedes, yum. I’m on my fourth steep and it’s still delicious! Update: now I’m on my 6th and it’s wonderful too…it gets so much sweeter the more you resteep it, nearing licorice root-based levels. Huh!

Totally agree with the reviewers who’ve said this is not a tea to waste those mornings you’re in a rush and can’t fully appreciate all this lovely stuff, the flavor transitions going on here. It’d be ideal for midday or early afternoon when you have some me time carved out to devote to this experience full on.