Tea Emporium Photos

[kymidwife]

I got my Tea Emporium package today, woohoooooo!!!! I was so amazed by the packaging, I took a ton of photos to share with you... plus, the first tea I brewed from the package was just amazing. I can't wait to try them all.

Before I post the photos, here is a list of what I purchased, and I will try to review them as I try them:

Castleton Moonlight 2nd Flush SFTGFOP
Risheehat (Flowery) 2nd flush SFTGFOP
Badatam (tippy) Autumnal Flush SFTGFOP
Pussimbing (organic) 1st Flush Premium SFTGFOP
JungPana 1st Flush SFTGFOP
Gopaldhara 1st Flush SFTGFOP

Upon opening the FedEx package, I found this cloth-wrapped package, hand sewn shut... my name and address were on the other side:



And then... several layers of inner wrapping:













And here is the Castleton Moonlight 2nd Flush:







3-minute Infusion:



5 minute infusion:



Flavor... smooth, not bitter, minimal astringency, velvety texture, amazing fragrant aroma, absolutely delicious!

Thanks for enduring my bad photography!

Sarah

[geeber1]

Sarah,
Awesome photos! The "old-fashioned" packaging is cool!

[Trioxin]

I was floored when I received my first package from Tea Emporium as well. They put a lot of care into their packaging.

[Trioxin]

...also, don't forget to give us your reviews on the rest of the teas. I'm curious about the Pussimbing.

[Victoria]

Wow, great pics!
Looks delish too, thanks for posting Sarah!

[omegapd]

I'm jealous! Nice looking pics.

[kymidwife]

...also, don't forget to give us your reviews on the rest of the teas. I'm curious about the Pussimbing.

Just for you, I brewed a cup of the Pussimbing. When I opened it, I noticed it didn't have as much dry-leaf aroma as the Castleton, and almost had a tiny bit of a smoky fragrance when I sniffed inside the bag. The color was similar to the Castleton, bluish/greyish/greenish with lots of lighter tips. The leaves are smaller, shorter, much more dense and less light/fluffy than the Castleton. I did 5 grams/6 oz./3 minutes.

The color of the infusion was much lighter at 3 minutes than the Castleton... again, not as powerful on the aroma, much like the dry leaf. The brew was a bit more astringent, with a small peppery bite, and almost a little citrusy aftertaste. It wasn't as naturally sweet or aromatic as the Castleton, not quite as mellow, a bit more sharpness, but still very smooth and enjoyable.

If I were going to pick from the two, I'd pick the Castleton, but will enjoy every leaf of the Pussimbing too. Now I'm dying to open the others. I am so undisciplined.

[caligatia]

I'm terribly jealous. What awesome packaging. I want!

[Trioxin]

...also, don't forget to give us your reviews on the rest of the teas. I'm curious about the Pussimbing.

Just for you, I brewed a cup of the Pussimbing. When I opened it, I noticed it didn't have as much dry-leaf aroma as the Castleton, and almost had a tiny bit of a smoky fragrance when I sniffed inside the bag. The color was similar to the Castleton, bluish/greyish/greenish with lots of lighter tips. The leaves are smaller, shorter, much more dense and less light/fluffy than the Castleton. I did 5 grams/6 oz./3 minutes.

The color of the infusion was much lighter at 3 minutes than the Castleton... again, not as powerful on the aroma, much like the dry leaf. The brew was a bit more astringent, with a small peppery bite, and almost a little citrusy aftertaste. It wasn't as naturally sweet or aromatic as the Castleton, not quite as mellow, a bit more sharpness, but still very smooth and enjoyable.

If I were going to pick from the two, I'd pick the Castleton, but will enjoy every leaf of the Pussimbing too. Now I'm dying to open the others. I am so undisciplined.

I've tried many darjeelings, and nothing is like the Castleton Moonlights. Well, I'm sure there may be something similar out there, but I've yet to come across one. Hope you enjoy them all.

[Salsero]

I was floored when I received my first package from Tea Emporium as well. They put a lot of care into their packaging.

Yes, it's a thrill to get these packages from India. Thunderbolt Tea came in a similarly gorgeous way. I think the Lochan Tea that I ordered came in the more usual 21st century packaging, but the tea itself was also wonderful.

Thanks again to Trioxin for discovering Tea Emporium.

Maybe you could eventually do a single post with one-liner thoughts about each of them next to each other. They are all Darjeeling, but they are also all quite different.

[omegapd]

I did 5 grams/6 oz./3 minutes.

Is it typical to use that much leaf with darjeeling? Maybe that's why I've hated the majority of darjeeling I've tried- not enough flavor.

[kymidwife]

I did 5 grams/6 oz./3 minutes.

Is it typical to use that much leaf with darjeeling? Maybe that's why I've hated the majority of darjeeling I've tried- not enough flavor.

Hmmm... I am probably not the best person to speak to what's "typical"... but for me, I like to use alittle more leaf and a shorter brew time (2-3 minutes max on 1st go) rather than the suggested 5 minutes I hear so often. With alittle extra tea and shorter infusion times, I think the flavor is much better, less likely to get bitter, and I get at least 3 really good infusions, usually 4.

That being said, the delicate aroma and complex flavor of these Darjeelings are what appeal to me... much the way I was seduced by oolongs. If you're looking for bold flavor, they may not be your thing. More for me.

Sarah

[omegapd]

Yep, subtlety is usually lost on me, but it really depends on what it is. I'm trying your 5g with a weak Ceylon since I don't have any darjeeling around. The tea is definitely darker looking. I think the taste is similar, though, to my normal 2.5g for 4-5 minutes.

Still yuck. But it's probably the tea since I hadn't had any luck with it so far no matter how I brew it.

EW

[geeber1]

Omega,
Don't know if this is a good suggestion or not, but I usually use 1/2 Ceylon and 1/2 Assam. They seem to balance each other out pretty well. I mostly use this combo for iced tea.

[GalileosDaughter]

Those teas look absolutely gorgeous!

Interesting packaging...I wonder, is that style (cloth-wrapped, hand-sewn) the custom in India? I ask because some of the people on the beauty boards I frequent have received beauty/skin care supplies from India and they usually come sewn into cloth packaging as well. Neat to see how little customs such as packaging vary from country to country.