Is anybody an expert on Darjeelings?

[jashnew]

Is anybody out there an expert on Darjeelings? I got this new book called the Little Black Book of Tea. They stated that Darjeelings from the Arya estate is considered the best Darjeeling. I went ahead and bought a sample. It was the first flush. It was good. Light, fruity and fresh. Overall very good. Not astringent even for a first flush. Anybody have any thoughts on Arya Estate tea.

[scruffmcgruff]

I don't think any one estate is "the best" per se, but Arya is supposed to be very good. Organic too, IIRC. Glad you liked it!

[Chip]

I seem to get Arya and Makaibari exclusively from Darjeeling. I am not an organic fanatic, but I still feel good about these 2 organic estates. Plus I have only had good experiences with their teas.

Darjeeling tea really rocks, but I prefer it occasionally instead of everyday. When I drank blacks everyday, I used to favor a more approachable Keemun.

[divintea]

This makes me want to travel to India and visit the estate! I bet the smell is outta this world... mmm.

[jashnew]

This weekend I got some Darjeeling from the Arya Estate. It was their Topaz blend. It had a very light floral tatse and was very naturally sweet. Good but I wouldn't get it again. If anybody is a Darjeeling fan and hasn't tried Darjeeling from the Singbulli Estate try that one. I also reccommend getting the second flush. It's less astringent.