London Tea Club: March and 'Castleton Darjeeling'

It's been a while, eh? This is the bit where I waffle excuses, but I don't really have anything specific other than just 'I've been generally busy'. That said, I actually have a couple of posts written up and saved as drafts; not sure why it has taken me so long, but expect these to posted in the coming days (or not...)

Let us travel back to March then. Peering into my postbox at the start of the month, there was the final box of teas from my gift subscription (fanx mum). So what wonders did March have to offer? Two test tubes, neatly labelled Castleton Darjeeling and Monks Blend. The third? A little sachet, displaying the words White Peony. Why a sachet? Well, the tea leaves are dried whole and, unlike an Oolong where the leaves are curled and twisted into tiny beds, the leaves are flat. Essentially, the White Peony leaves are too big to be kept in a narrow test tube.

Underneath the tea (and the little London Tea Club bag that comes with each box), there was black business card alongside the usually monthly newsletter. This card reminded me that this was, indeed, the final box in my gift subscription (it had also mentioned this on the address label on the box) and that they hoped I had enjoyed my membership. It also offered me a special code that allowed me to get the next month's box free should I wish to continue! Hooray! More tea for me! Naturally, I signed up for April and do intend to continue to get the tea box, funds allowing (I have far too many monthly subscriptions currently).

But of course, you are not here to read about my subscriptions, you are here (presumably; if you're not, I'm not quite sure what you're expecting) to read about tea.

Let this post introduce you to Castleton Darjeeling. A truely divine tea if I ever found one. Properly brewed, this tea is one of the finest black teas I've ever tasted (and I have tasted a fair few). Did you know, that Darjeeling teas are referred to as 'the champagne of teas'? No, I didn't either until London Tea Club told me; certainly, this tea shows it.

Before I move on to the tea itself, let me tell you a little about Darjeeling teas. Interestingly enough, Darjeeling teas, although grown in (unsurprisingly) the Darjeeling district of West India, are grown from the Asian strain of Camellia sinensis (the sinensis varient) rather than the Indian strain (the assamica variant). Apparently there are only seven valleys, comprising of eighty gardens, that grow Darjeeling tea and an individual bush only yields about 100g of dried tea per year. This particular tea comes from the Castleton estate from the Kurseong district; hence the name, really. The estate was established in 1885 (and the Camellia sinensis plant can produce useable leaves for over 100 years with proper care, so this is historic tea I'm drinking right here) by an Englishman, Dr. Charles Graham. So this tea is an Chinese plant, grown in India by the English; with the three main players in tea, it is surely the truest form of internationalitea, no?


Despite being such a fine tea, I decided, rather boorishly in hindsight, to brew it in one of my favourite mugs. The sentiments emblazoned across it are true enough 'Where There is Tea there is Hope'. I also used my silicone flower tea infuser, which always brightens my day, as it pokes out of the top of my mug. It also has a matching flower pot to catch the drippings when I'm done; delightful!

So, what about this particular Darjeeling? While this is not the first time I have drank Darjeeling, it is perhaps the first time I have appreciated it for what it is (you know how it goes; you're at a cafe, they tell you they serve 'specialty teas', so you opt for the brand name Darjeelings, it's over steeped and bagged and, quite frankly, just tastes like tea) and, until now, I've not actually had any in my collection. This is also a 'second flush', that is, the leaves have been picked during summer, rather than spring or autumn.

The aroma of this tea was almost citrusy; a faint reminder of sour-sweet fruit, even though this tea hasn't had sight of a lemon or orange. You could be fogriven for thinking otherwise by looking at it; its colour is a pale lemon. It also has a distinctly honey like quality; thick but smooth and slightly sweet. It rolls across the tongue and lingers at the back of the mouth, leaving a long lasting impression. If gold was a drink, it would be Darjeeling.

I feel that I need to add more Darjeeling teas to me ever growing, over flowing collection. That way I can better appreciate the subtle nuances that separate Castleton Darjeeling from others. Still, as an introduction to this finest of teas, I am very much impressed and certainly look forward to imbibing another cup. Much like champagne, I feel its a tea for celebrating with, for sharing or for after a long, tiring day when 'fuck it, I'm having a drink'. Just, in this case, its not alcoholic. And I'm not sure I'd recommend adding a shot of vodka to this (or any?) tea; it's perfection as it is.