IN THE BEGINNING!!!.......There was a hot cup of tea.

Alright! Here we go. This is the first post for this blog.

We started this little blog because we like to drink tea, and then talk about it. Just a casual conversation, nothing serious. So rather than drone on about what this is, I'll just get started.

This morning I had a cup of Castleton, Muscatel from Darjeeling India. If you haven't tried this tea, I highly recommend it. Lauren and I were in Darjeeling last spring and we brought some of this tea home. I've had to ration the tea out to myself, otherwise I would drink it every day. It's that good.

For information on Darjeeling tea, and what 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Flush means go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darjeeling_tea

Muscatel is a second flush tea, which means that it it is harvested in May or June. Second flush teas are typically sweeter and smoother than first flush teas, and the muscatel is an amazing example. It's an exceptionally smooth tea, and although it's fruity; it's dry, and the sweetness is subtle. The muscatel flavor is often compared to currants.

The Muscatel that I had this morning came from the Castleton estate, which is one of the best producers of tea in the region. Every Castleton tea that I have tried so far has been excellent, so if you decide to try this tea out, I think it's worth seeking out the Castleton offering.

I love Darjeeling teas because of their light body. Most other black teas go well with milk, and some of the African varieties beg for it, but Darjeeling produces teas that can be taken completely on their own. In fact it might almost be wrong to put milk into your cup of Darjeeling. I will come to your house and make you drink coffee if you try it.

So try some of the Muscatel. You'll be very happy you did.

Oh yes... One other thing. I was given an explanation about how this tea gets it's unique flavor. Maybe someone out there can confirm this for me. Apparently the tea is double fermented by a rather curious process. At some point just before harvest, there is an insect that will begin feeding on the tea leaf. This begins the process of fermentation. The tea is then picked, and fermented in the usual way. The manager of the estate has to be paying close attention to the timing on this process to get it right. This could be a technique that is unique to the Castleton estate, due to it's elevation, or aspect, or it could be how everyone does it, or it could be a bunch of nonsense. Whatever the case may be, I love this tea, and I think you should have a cup.