Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Udyan Tea
Tea Description:
Goomtee is a very well known Darjeeling heritage garden planted with pure china bushes almost a century ago. Picked from special section of the garden called Ghani between 3000-4000 sq.ft. height, this tea is for the strong hearted first flush lovers as it has a strong body with a very slight tinge of muscatel (grape flavour usually associated with second flush Darjeelings). It is a well balanced cup that leaves a stong after taste as well. With repeated steepings, the liquor becomes sweeter and midler. Perfect tea for long winding day with a good book in hand to read.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a treat! I love it when I get to try the new teas of the season! This Goomtee China Classic First Flush Black Tea from Udyan Tea is wonderful.
As I’ve confessed before, when it comes to Darjeeling teas, I generally prefer a 2nd flush to a 1st flush because I do love those grape-y, muscatel notes of the 2nd flush. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t find things to love about the first flush Darjeeling teas.
This has a slightly stronger taste than I would normally associate with a Darjeeling. I still tastes very crisp and Darjeeling-esque to me, but it’s a little bit more forward than the “usual” light flavors of a Darjeeling.
And there is a muscatel note too! It’s not as dominate as in a second flush Darjeeling, but it’s there – a delicate, muscat grape note that lingers in the background at the beginning of the sip and comes forward a little bit as the sip progresses. Lovely!
Floral notes weave their way throughout the sip. A sweet note that almost tastes as though someone drizzled a drop or two of honey in my cup. Notes of wood, hints of fruit that complement the muscat grape notes, and a slightly dry, wine-like finish.
Another fantastic tea from Udyan Tea – if you haven’t yet tried teas from them, I highly recommend checking them out!
Goomtee Oolong Tea from Udyan Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Udyan Tea
Tea Description:
Goomtee is a very well known Darjeeling heritage garden planted with pure china bushes almost a century ago. It produces one of the best teas from Darjeeling. This tea is for Darjeeling Tea Lovers and newbies alike. It has a very sweet aroma with fruity notes. It makes a well balanced cup that leaves a sweet after taste and refreshing feeling as well. The flavour is superb with a soft and smooth texture.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve always been fond of Oolong teas from Darjeeling so when Udyan Tea sent me this Goomtee Oolong Tea, I was excited to try it.
I brewed it the same way I’d brew most Oolong teas – in my gaiwan! I did a 15 second rinse, and then steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds (180°F). I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion.
My first cup is the combination of infusions 1 and 2. And it is wonderful. The best way I can think of to describe the flavor is what you might taste if you combined an autumnal flush Darjeeling (with all those lovely muscatel notes!) with an Oolong – I’m thinking an Asian Beauty type Oolong – something light and fruity. I get the crispness from the Darjeeling, the pungent grape-y notes of muscatel and the smooth body of an Oolong. It’s not a heavy tasting tea – it’s light and refreshing. There is some astringency to this, the finish is slightly dry.
And because it is an Oolong, that means that you can look forward to many wonderful infusions with this tea.
My second cup (a combination of infusions 3 and 4) was more intensely flavored than the first. I’m getting a lot more of the muscatel now. Still very sweet, I’m picking up on notes of a light buttery taste that reminds me of a browned butter taste. It has a silky texture to it. There is more astringency to this cup but it isn’t something that gets in the way of enjoyment. It’s more like a dryness to the cup, sort of like what you might experience if you were to sip a glass of wine.
My third cup (infusions 5 and 6) is where I started to notice the flavors were waning. The second cup was so profusely flavored and this one is much lighter. Still quite nice though! The texture is not as silky or buttery as the second. But I still taste the muscatel – this cup is much more like a Darjeeling than an Oolong to me.
Overall, a very enjoyable tea experience – one I’d recommend to all Oolong enthusiasts as well as those fond of Darjeeling teas. It’s a rather wonderful tea!
Goomtee Autumnal Black Tea from Udyan Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Udyan Tea
Tea Description:
Goomtee is a very well known Darjeeling heritage garden planted with pure china bushes almost a century ago. This tea is for the strong hearted autumn flush lovers as it has a strong body with a very slight tinge of muscatel (grape flavour usually associated with second flush Darjeelings). It is a well balanced cup that leaves a stong after taste as well. With repeated steepings, the liquor becomes sweeter and midler. Perfect tea for long winding day with a good book in hand to read.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A lovely second flush Darjeeling tea, this Goomtee Autumnal Black Tea from Udyan Tea! It’s a stronger tea than what you might expect from a Darjeeling tea. This is not as crisp and light as a typical Darjeeling, but it’s not as heavy as other black teas. This still has a very recognizable Darjeeling character to it. When I sip this, my palate still identifies it as a Darjeeling.
And the question I usually have for a Darjeeling (especially a second flush) is: am I tasting muscatel? And the answer here is YES! The muscatel here isn’t as strong as one of those lighter, crisper second flush Darjeeling teas but there is still that lovely, muscat grape taste that I absolutely covet when it comes to Darjeeling.
The sip starts out brisk with woodsy notes. Almost immediately after my palate notices those woodsy tones, I start to pick up on a sweetness that reminds me of the sweetness I’d experience from golden raisins. By mid-sip, that raisin-y note transcends into something more like a muscat grape taste. The finish is dry and slightly astringent, but not overly so.
When it comes to Darjeeling teas, the autumnal harvest is usually my favorite, so I’m really glad that I got to experience this Autumnal Black from the Goomtee estate. It’s really delightful to sip.
2014 Darjeeling 2nd Flush Goomtee Oolong Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
A delightful oolong tea which evolves and develops with each subsequent brew. A great fruity nose with a complex taste of orange and spice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really happy to try this Darjeeling Oolong from What-Cha Tea. Darjeeling Oolong teas tend to be a bit more difficult to find and they’re so lovely that whenever I have the opportunity to try them, I’m excited!
And my excitement was justified because this second Flush Goomtee Oolong is really quite delightful!
I brewed this Darjeeling Oolong the same way I’d brew other Oolong teas, using my gaiwan. I heated the water to 180°F and measured out 1 bamboo scoop of leaves and placed them in the bottom of the gaiwan bowl. Then I gave the tea a quick rinse (15 seconds) and discarded the liquid, and then proceeded to infuse the tea for 45 seconds for the first infusion and then for each subsequent infusion, I added 15 seconds onto the steep time. My first cup was composed of a combination of the first two infusions; the second cup was a combination of infusions 3 and 4, and so on.
My first impression of this tea? Deliciously sweet and fruity! I taste the promised notes of orange and spice. I also taste a sweet, grape-y note. It’s quite smooth and very pleasant to sip. A little earthy and woodsy, with delicate spice notes that are peppery and warm.
Later infusions offered even more fruit notes. I started to pick up on an apple-y note in the second cup (infusions 3 and 4). The sweetness of the cup reminded me almost of a brown sugar sweetness. The cup is smooth yet crisp and vibrant. The light spice notes perk up the flavor.
What I love about Darjeeling Oolong teas like this is that they offer the best of Darjeeling and of Oolong in one cup. It’s smooth and creamy like I’d experience from an Oolong, but I am still tasting notes that are familiar with a second flush Darjeeling teas. I can taste notes of muscatel and the wonderfully warm spice notes and gentle woodsy tones.
With the third cup (infusions 5 and 6), the flavors became a little more unified and soft. The spice tones were not quite as defined as they were in the first two cups, but I found the sweetness from the fruit notes as well as that sweet brown sugar-y note more than made up for the waning spice notes.
This is a really lovely tea. I enjoyed its many infusions (I infused this tea a total of eight times!) finding that the 2nd cup was my favorite because the spice notes were still quite zesty and I liked the way these spice tones married with the fruit notes.
I highly recommend this tea to both lovers of Darjeeling and of Oolong! You’ll really enjoy this tea!
Goomtee Grand Reserve Spring Tea First Flush 2014 from Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Description:
Goomtee Grand Reserve is a LIMITED EDITION tea. Not all teas get the prestigious tag of GRAND RESERVE but this tea deserves every bit of this.
The leaves have been plucked from the highest elevated section of this garden which is also called the MUSCATEL VALLEY. Super fine plucking of the leaves and tender processing has resulted with a masterpiece.
High floral notes with distinct JASMINE LIKE flavour will make every tea connoisseur mesmerized. It is only Goomtee that could deliver such a beauty.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This 2014 Goomtee Grand Reserve Spring Tea First Flush is a lot greener than most of the Darjeeling teas that I’ve encountered lately. In fact, it looks very much like a green tea rather than a black tea.
Taking this into account, I lowered the temperature slightly. Normally, I would steep a Darjeeling tea at 195°F, but for this greener Darjeeling, I lowered the temperature to 185°F, and using my Breville One-Touch tea maker, I set the steep time for 2 minutes.
The result is a delightful cup of tea! The aroma of the brewed cup is crazy floral – it is really beautiful.
And the flavor! Sweet! Floral! There are even hints of muscatel in this cup. The floral notes are profound, and as the description above promises, there is a “distinct jasmine like” flavor. There is a soft, pleasant texture. The astringency sort of tingles on the tongue in the finish, and I find that it accentuates the floral notes of this cup.
I’m mesmerized by the jasmine tones of this cup. I don’t think that this tea was actually *scented* with jasmine, but, it almost tastes as though it has been processed similar to a typical jasmine scented tea. The jasmine essence is a bit more subdued than in a typical jasmine green tea, for example, but, it’s still a rather surprising taste to find in a Darjeeling tea such as this.
I’d recommend this to all those that enjoy drinking tea! Those that love jasmine, as I do, this is an exciting twist on that classic favorite. Those that love Darjeeling, this is one that you should have on your cupboard because it’s a stunning representation of a fine Darjeeling first flush. Those that simply love all teas, this is quite a unique tea and unlike any that I’ve tried thus far (and I’ve tried a lot of tea!) It’s one you should try too!
A truly remarkable and … rather unexpected Darjeeling tea.