Looking for mild black

[silverneedles]

i havent had any indian black teas that are mild, i find them on the harsh side.

keemun maybe, but if you get a good one,

yunnan gold more likely to be mild

[cyberhoofer]

i havent had any indian black teas that are mild, i find them on the harsh side.

keemun maybe, but if you get a good one,

yunnan gold more likely to be mild

You haven't tried the 'right' Indian teas, if you find them all on the harsh side. There is a wide variety of lovely Indian teas that aren't too heady.

I'm sipping Goomtee Muscatel at the moment. It's a 2nd Flush 2009 Darjeeling I received 2 days back from Lochan tea. I accidentally forgot the brew in the pot for 6 minutes, yet the outcome proved excellent. No harshness or astringency at all.

The worst you can do to spoil Indian blacks generally is to brew too long a time. Some other Indian blacks might also do better with a lesser amount of leaves, especially the strongest Assams.

The best thing to do is to stick to single estate teas, both in Assams & Darjs, if your purse tolerates the prices. You know exactly, what you're getting for your money's worth. For me buying blends is always a card game. It's not too often in a poker play you'd get a Royal Flush. The same goes for tea blends. There are better ones, and then there are umpteenth worse ones. Why buy a blend if you want a specific distinguished taste. And the blends aren't that cheap either, unless they're put together of low quality teas. A good single estate Second Flush is a far better choice than a Royal Flush you might never get

Then there are excellent Nepalese black teas you might want to try. 2nd Flush Maloom is a less strong one with an overlay of floral notes. It neither gets harsh nor too astringent, if you brew it for 5 minutes. Though the recommended steeping time for it is 2,5 to 3 minutes.

Then there's Nepalese Meghma Honey Oolong 2nd Flush, that is mild and mellow. But this one isn't a black tea, of course. You might still want to try this one, it has a very interesting slight saltiness, even though it's naturally sweet at the same time. To my palate it's like a combination of Roquefort cheese topped with honey.

[woozl]

I am loving my Nepalese teas.
I have Shangri La hand rolled tips from Illam district.
this is like a first flush darj. yet smoother.
Also Everest hand rolled from Sindhuplachok.
This second is very supple, honey nuances like a good Ceylon.

[silverneedles]

smooth DJ/indian black? i want some of that
whats a good source? thunderbolt? lochan?
how much grams + water, time?

[woozl]

The Everest is a rounder cup.
http://www.teatrekker.com/09_nepal.htm
I haven't had the white, it looked nice, but I was loaded up already

[Chip]

smooth DJ/indian black? i want some of that
whats a good source? thunderbolt? lochan?
how much grams + water, time?

"Milder," not "smoother" is the OP's question.

Just about any Darjeeling can be milder if prepared English style and reducing brew time to 2-3 minutes. So, 2.3 grams per 6 ounces water. 2ish minutes for most FF, and 3ish for most 2nd flush.

One exception would possible be a BOP ... or fannings of course.

[silverneedles]

smooth DJ/indian black? i want some of that

"Milder," not "smoother" is the OP's question.

thx Chip, i adressed the OP's Q, I was responding to another reply
please follow the thread.

I would like to find something a little milder. Any suggestions?

i havent had any indian black teas that are mild, i find them on the harsh side.

first flush darj. yet smoother.

smooth DJ/indian black? i want some of that

[Chip]

smooth DJ/indian black? i want some of that

"Milder," not "smoother" is the OP's question.

thx Chip, i adressed the OP's Q, I was responding to another reply
please follow the thread.

I would like to find something a little milder. Any suggestions?

i havent had any indian black teas that are mild, i find them on the harsh side.

first flush darj. yet smoother.

smooth DJ/indian black? i want some of that

OK, my mistake. Although I have followed the thread, just missed that wording.

[cyberhoofer]

smooth DJ/indian black? i want some of that
whats a good source? thunderbolt? lochan?
how much grams + water, time?

I rely on Thunderbolt, Lochan Tea & Tea Emporium (NOT the Canadian outlet with the nearly same name, but the Indian one) on Darjs.

One of the smoothest 2nd Flushes this year (in my mind) have been:

Tea Emporium's Castleton Moonlight, pricey - but worth the dough. And they still have it!

Thunderbolt's Arya Topaz, but this is an Oolong.

Thunderbolt's Giddapahar Musk (DJ 29). This is on sale & you won't find any other single estate Darj for this price, I guarantee! Just don't over brew!

Thunderbolt's Sungma SFTGFOP1 Clonal Wonder (Turzum) is another top bet by me for 2009, but I believe they're running out of it very soon.

The Lochan family stocks both the Nepalese teas I mentioned before:
'Maloom' 2nd Flush 2009, I believe they have several grades of it.
'Meghma' Honey Oolong 2nd Flush 2009.

If you purchase from any of these vendors, you'd get brewing instructions by request, I'm sure. I hope this helps a bit