Fortnum & Mason Tea Advent Calendar Day 16 - Darjeeling FTGFOP

 Hey look!  More word salad like we had on Day 12! Only this time, it's with Darjeeling instead of Assam



Ok, so as we learned on Day 12, the letters after the tea name are a rating of the quality of the tea.  However, you might notice that this has one additional letter in the word salad than the Assam did on DAY 12.  Yup, this is a grade higher in quality than Day 12's Assam.  FTGFOP stands for Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe.


The write up on the tea describes this as the "Champagne of teas" because Darjeeling is far more prized than most other regional teas.  It's the altitude and what it does to the flavor of the leaf.  Darjeeling has always tasted more earthy to me than other teas, and this blend is no exception.  It almost has a bit of a petrichor taste to it, which I do not find at all unpleasant.

In all honesty, I had to look up what a "muscatel taste" means.  I read the word and immediately thought of muscatel wine, which has nothing in common with the flavours of this tea in my opinion.  However, when talking tea I discovered that muscatel taste is a common descriptor of second flush Darjeelings.  Here is what Wikipedia says about the "muscatel taste".

Muscatel refers to a distinctive flavor found in some Darjeeling teas, especially the second-flush teas. It has been described as a "distinct sweet flavour" that is not present in other flushes or tea from other localities,[1] a "musky spiciness," [2] "a unique muscat-like fruitiness in aroma and flavour,"[3] or "dried raisins with a hay like finish."[4] Though difficult to describe,[4] it is prized by tea aficionados.[5]

The flavor develops in part through the action of sap-sucking insects, jassids and thrips, which partly damage the young tea leaves. The tea plant then produces terpene as an insect repellent. This higher concentration of terpene produces the muscatel flavor.[6]

So.... sweet flavour?  Mmmmm.... I don't think so.  Musky spiciness.... no.  Muscat-like fruitiness in aroma and flavour..... nope.  Dried raisins with a hay like finish.... ok.... yes.  That last one I can totally see.  It absolutely had a bit of raisin in the flavour and absolutely you could describe the finish as hay like.  In fact, it is that hey like finish that prompted me to add milk to the cup. 


At first I added not enough cream and still had that hay note on the finish which.... was too dry for me.  Then, I added too much cream and while the tea still tasted nice and quality.... it also tasted a bit... muddy.  So, be aware, this blend is finicky with the cream and can be over creamed.  This trait isn't surprising for me as most HIGH quality teas that I've had in the past are pretty finicky when it comes to the cream level.  There is a definite sweet spot where you get the creaminess and the lux mouth feel of the cream while still keeping the complexity of flavour of the tea.


Verdict: Super high quality leaf, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the Assam.

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