Castleton Moonlight

Whoa! I just received a shipment of tea from Darjeeling, and there was a bag of Castleton Moonlight in there. As soon as I got home, I brewed myself a cup, and it's damn good. It's sort of an odd tea when you first taste it because it somehow manages to taste full bodied, and rather light at the same time. Towards the end of the cup, the lightness disappeared a little but it still remained smooth, and easy to drink. There's a pronounced fruity, or earthy liquor (listen to me. Liquor? Did I really use that term?), that maintains some of that characteristic Darjeeling muscatel. This is a very unique tea in the sense that it tastes very much like a Darjeeling, but it wanders off in a few areas. It tastes less astringent than other Darjeelings, and "wetter". Also a bit sweeter. Funny thing is that it's still a bit dry and the sweetness doesn't have an overpowering presence, even though it's very noticeable. This is a very well crafted tea in my opinion.

It brews into a nice amber color, and the dry tea is a satisfying mix of long wiry, multicolored leaves.

As far as I know, this came from a limited picking of a small little corner of the Castelton estates. The garden is one of the highest in elevation around Darjeeling, and a lot of care went into the production. It was not fermented for very long, but it tastes nothing like an oolong. The leaves are well withered, and left untouched, so they're large, and shiny. I think the term shiny describes the flavor well also. Yes, it actually tastes shiny.

This is a rather mysterious tea, and I feel as if things are going to take a turn for the better now that I have had a cup. What do you think of that? I think the movements of the planets may even be read within it's flavor and aroma. At least you may get a sense of it.

I would drink this tea during transitions or when running rivers. It feels just right for when you take a break from paddling a cool brisk creek, on a cool sunny day, and you have a nice shady spot with lots of undergrowth around, and a high canopy of trees to shade you. Look for fish, or turn over a few rocks while waiting for your water to boil. This tea worked well for me in the afternoon, but I think I would recommend it for the morning as well.