Glenburn Classic Darjeeling First Flush Black Tea

I finished off another Vahdam sample this evening. Glenburn is an estate about which I have long been curious. The teas that come from Glenburn seem to be consistently regarded as some of the best teas to come out of the Indian state of West Bengal, receiving a great deal of praise from regular tea drinkers and tea industry insiders alike. I, however, never went out of way to try a Glenburn tea. Until today, it was just something to which I had yet to get around.

I prepared this tea Western style. I steeped 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I went with a temperature at the lowest end of the vendor’s recommended 194-212 F range simply because I have been having good luck with brewing Darjeeling at that temperature as of late. It worked for me again here.

Prior to infusion, I detected pleasant aromas of orchard fruit, Muscatel, straw, and citrus. After infusion, I was able to pick out stronger, more distinct aromas of white peach, Muscatel, straw, lemon, and tangerine. In the mouth, I picked up smooth notes of nectarine, white peach, pear, Muscatel, spring honey, lemon, and tangerine that were soon balanced by straw, cream, malt, and almond flavors. The finish was smooth, offering lingering touches of almond, cream, Muscatel, straw, and citrus coupled with what I can only describe as a touch of corn husk.

This was a nice, light first flush Darjeeling that was very smooth and approachable. The aromas and flavors it offered were delicate and at times subtle, but it remained consistently appealing. Personally, I like a little more muskiness and herbal character in first flush Darjeelings, but this was still a fine offering.