My first enjoyable Darjeeling

Lewis Perin wrote:

> > Summary: heaped teaspoon of tea, no infuser, 8oz boiling water, 1 min
> > (1st steep), 2 min (2nd. steep), no milk or sugar, great results.
>
> I don't know this year's Goomtee FF, but based on my experience with
> other FF Darjeelings, you might want to go further in the same
> direction. Try using much more leaf for the same amount of hot water,
> *very* short steeps (maybe 15 seconds for the first steep), and water
> not quite boiling. You might find you get five or six delicious
> steeps, each different from the others.

Hmm, 5-6 steeps? You'd want to be thirsty! I'll try it with my Teeli
infuser, since I'd be looking at 5-6 smallish cups, not 5-6 smallish
pots.

As a practical matter, how fussy should one be about freshly drawn
water and correct water temperature for each of those steeps? I can't
imagine refilling the kettle and "almost boiling" it for the sake of
making the third or fourth small cup.

Gavin

DPM wrote:

> In Darjeelimg a "flush" is a harvest season; within each flush there may be
> several batches or "invoices". Some will be better than others. Unless the
> vendor tells you what invoice their particular lot comes from there is no
> guarantee that his offering is the same as another's, even from the same
> estate. Heck, some vendors don't even tell you the harvest *year* unless
> you ask! Since freshness is a virtue in FF, it's always wise to ensure
> you're buying from the latest harvest.

Thanks for the info. I tend not to ask such questions since I doubt
the person behind the counter will know the answer, and if they think I
consider the year to be important, they could just pretend it's the
current year. Best just apply blind faith until faced with
contravening evidence :)

> Reputable online vendors tend to buy their tea and then seal it into various
> sized bags; since the tea is sealed from light and air, it's shelf life will
> be longer than a store, which usually keeps tea in big tins. It's certainly
> fun to go to the store and sniff all those tins, but it does nothing good
> for the tea, IMHO.

I'm sure you're right. I wonder if the effect on the tea can be
quantified somehow.

Cheers,
Gavin