Scott B Send Message

46 Followers / 11 Following

drank Mist Valley SFTGFOP Second Flush by Rare Tea Republic
109 tasting notes

This is my first tea from Nepal. I was more than a little nervous learning that this is grown under similar conditions right across the border from Darjeeling-as I don’t care for 2nd flush Darjeelings at all.

Anyhow, the leaves are dark brown and tightly rolled with a liberal amount of golden buds mixed in. Dry leaf aroma is hard to describe-perhaps a faint note of licorice. The brewed aroma is that of what to me is typical 2nd flush Darjeeling-probably what others call “muscatel”, but to me it smell like some kind of corn liquor (as in corn alcohol).

The flavor is pretty much all the corn liquor-especially on the finish. It does get a bitter aftertaste as the tea cools. I CAN drink this-in fact I drank 4 ounces of a Rishi 2nd Flush Darjeeling (mainly because it was so expensive)-but I prefer not to.

I’m not giving this a numerical rating because I’ve never liked a 2nd flush darjeeling, so it doesn’t seem fair. It has all the characteristics of a quality tea, but it’s just not my preference. I would drink a cup of this if offered, but I would hope my host wouldn’t have a giant pot to share with me.
Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
9 comments
Edit
TeaBrat
Delete

yeah I believe they are neighbors, the tea is quite similar

Scott B
Delete

Have you ever had an Autumnal Flush Darjeeling? I am curious as to what that tastes like.

Scott B
Delete

Thanks, maybe I’ll try a sample next time I place an order, though I’m not too hopeful with oolongs.

TeaBrat
Delete

I’m waiting for their FF darjeelings to come out – will definitely try those. :)

ScottTeaMan
Delete

I’m waiting for more from Thunderbolt, but RTR and Upton’s…….oh, and possibly H & S, for 2012 Darjeelings. I’m gonna sit back and wait (not too long), before I order a couple 2012 Darjeelings. It appears the crops are more sparse due to the drought this year. :-//

Scott B
Delete

I’ve been waiting on the FF Darjeelings myself. Yeah, the drought is supposed to be over now, but it has delayed the first flush.

ScottTeaMan
Delete

…….and stunted the crops, and increased prices. :-//

Scott B
Delete

Indeed. Hope prices aren’t too high.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Comments

TeaBrat
Delete

yeah I believe they are neighbors, the tea is quite similar

Scott B
Delete

Have you ever had an Autumnal Flush Darjeeling? I am curious as to what that tastes like.

Scott B
Delete

Thanks, maybe I’ll try a sample next time I place an order, though I’m not too hopeful with oolongs.

TeaBrat
Delete

I’m waiting for their FF darjeelings to come out – will definitely try those. :)

ScottTeaMan
Delete

I’m waiting for more from Thunderbolt, but RTR and Upton’s…….oh, and possibly H & S, for 2012 Darjeelings. I’m gonna sit back and wait (not too long), before I order a couple 2012 Darjeelings. It appears the crops are more sparse due to the drought this year. :-//

Scott B
Delete

I’ve been waiting on the FF Darjeelings myself. Yeah, the drought is supposed to be over now, but it has delayed the first flush.

ScottTeaMan
Delete

…….and stunted the crops, and increased prices. :-//

Scott B
Delete

Indeed. Hope prices aren’t too high.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Started drinking tea for health benefits maybe 5 years ago-exclusively bagged tea. Usually went for various Celestial Seasonings type of stuff. I bought a tea infuser at a gourmet shop once and then I realized there was almost no loose tea available. Eventually tiring of bags, I started ordering loose tea online and I have never gone back. Initially, I was exploring all the wild and exotic flavor combinations, but now I mostly drink straight teas. I still enjoy blended teas-but prefer those without “flavoring”. Hope to learn here and find some new teas I might not otherwise find. Am a vegan, so “milk” generally means “soymilk” to me. If it’s almond, rice, or coconut, I will mention that fact.

I am new here, and new to reviewing tea. Many of my initial reviews will be from memory and may not be very detailed at all. I hope to write more informative reviews on current and future teas.

I won’t let external factors affect my rating of the tea-such as slow shipping, too expensive, etc. I’ll mention any customer service problems in my reviews. I also won’t let my mistakes in not following the seller’s recommended parameters affect a rating. I can’t believe people who say “I forgot about it and oversteeped it” and then give it a rating. If I brew outside the parameters, I will wait until I brew it right before I give it a rating.

TEMPORARY RATING SYSTEM- Don’t hold me to these numbers and descriptions-like George Bluth, I like to tweak.

90+ It’s awesome, right?? I’ll probably try to keep it on hand.

80-89 – I really like this and will buy it again at some point, but there are so many teas to try!

70-79 – This is a pretty good tea and I may buy it again based on my mood, what tea store I am buying from, and what kind of deal I can get.

60-69 – This is okay. I finished the bag. I would drink it again if offered, but would not buy it again.

40-59 – IF I finished the bag, I recall this tea thinking “Why in the hell did I finish the bag?”

1-39 – Did not finish the bag. Maybe not even the cup. Tea was given away or discarded.

Location

Usa

Following These People

See More

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer