TeaChat

geeber1 wrote:http://www.holymtn.com/tea/blacktea.htm

This site has several Nilgiris that look interesting. Has anyone ordered from here?

No teas just Chataku!

I got my other 2 Nilgiri now, I'm ready to swap - I'll PM you Geeber!

Looking through my old lists, it was unusual to see a vendor with any Nilgiri only 2-3 years ago. They must be doing something right to have come so far so fast.

I think they got some hints from the northern folks up in Darjeeling.

kymidwife wrote:OK I have 3 Nilgiri offerings from SpecialTeas coming...

Tiger Hill OP (CL)
Thiashola TGFOP1
Thiashola Organic SFTGFOP1

Probably not as nice as some of the others, but will be interesting to compare vendors and prices. I have been reasonably satisfied with most of my SpecialTeas experiences.

Sarah

Sounds good Sarah! I'd like to try all three! I'll send my Tiger Hill if you want and which ever other ones you want! PM me!

After hearing all the awesomeness about the Glendale Estate Handmade, I am tempted to order some, especially since I am running low on black tea. What does it taste like beyond being delicious?

Cinnamon Kitty wrote: After hearing all the awesomeness about the Glendale Estate Handmade ... What does it taste like beyond being delicious?

Beautiful large leaves (compared to orthodox Indian tea).

Forgiving and easy to brew, bright peach colored liquor, mild but pleasant taste, only modest (=pleasant) astringency, a bit sweet with occasional lemony taste. Very well balanced and good aftertaste. It's one of those teas that keeps urging me to infuse again because the last one was so good, though I have never gone over 4 infusions.

I found the taste both sweet and tart like a fruit, subtle and more complex than most Nilgiri tea. If it is floral, it's because it tastes more like flowers than it smells ... might smell more of light baked goods. Croissants? Quite oolong like.

The spent leaves are also beautiful, but not especially tippy.

Salsero, that's such an excellent and accurate description! You should be a writer for a tea catalog.

CK, you won't be disappointed in this tea if you try it.

Thank you, Sal. That was an awesome description, and those are some gorgeous leaves. Croissants, baked goods, flower, and fruit sounds right up my alley. I have a feeling 4oz of that tea will end up in my cart when I make my order.

Sal has made me want some, too. Hope they don't sell out before I can place an order...

Beautiful photo Sal, which reminds me, how can this be a black tea? Jeez, looks almost like a green or a green oolong. So many Indian "blacks" fall into this abyss.

Great description, could almost win me over to the Dark Side" but ... this tea really does not qualify. How could a greenie resist it?

Chip wrote:Beautiful photo Sal, which reminds me, how can this be a black tea? Jeez, looks almost like a green or a green oolong. So many Indian "blacks" fall into this abyss.

Great description, could almost win me over to the Dark Side" but ... this tea really does not qualify. How could a greenie resist it?

Chip, it brews up pretty light in color also, and the steeped leaves are more green than black. You might find it hard to rejoin the Green Collective if you get hooked on this tea!

I'm beginning to think I got very lucky with the Nilgiri I first tried. All three of them, just have been fantastic. Following the success of those 3 the next two I have tried have been far from stellar.

No 4 was a new one of mine from ToT. No 5 is Glendale Estate, FOP from Geeber1.
Although warned about another one, the bigger leaf of this one was so appealing, I was not expecting such bitterness! In fact I was beginning to think a common trait to all Nilgiri is a smooth non-bitter finish.

I will try this again with different parameters but wow - be careful there is a HUGE difference between Glendale Estate FOP and Glendale Estate Handmade.

Victoria wrote:I'm beginning to think I got very lucky with the Nilgiri I first tried. All three of them, just have been fantastic. Following the success of those 3 the next two I have tried have been far from stellar.

No 4 was a new one of mine from ToT. No 5 is Glendale Estate, FOP from Geeber1.
Although warned about another one, the bigger leaf of this one was so appealing, I was not expecting such bitterness! In fact I was beginning to think a common trait to all Nilgiri is a smooth non-bitter finish.

I will try this again with different parameters but wow - be careful there is a HUGE difference between Glendale Estate FOP and Glendale Estate Handmade.

Victoria, I noticed that also on the first steep with this one and the Dooars, but the second steep of both was much better to me. Is that normal? I'm going to try them both again with a little less leaf and time.

I guess that's the fun of trading samples, you don't have to invest a bunch of money in something you might not be thrilled about. Yours haven't arrived yet, but I'm looking forward to trying them.

geeber1 wrote: Victoria, I noticed that also on the first steep with this one and the Dooars, but the second steep of both was much better to me. Is that normal? I'm going to try them both again with a little less leaf and time.

I have found that reducing the time often helps with this problem. I would not reduce the leaf or you will get a much weaker taste. Generally, try to vary just one factor at a time or you don't really know what accounts for any change.

Actually, sometimes increasing the leaf and shortening the time is a good combination.

Good suggestion, I'll try that. After I posted, I thought my logic was probably a little off on using less leaf.