Thurbo, Oriental Delight

So this morning it was the Thurbo, Oriental Delight from the Thurbo Estate, in Darjeeling. This particular tea is an oolong which is slightly unusual for Darjeeling, although there are more and more estates producing greens, and oolongs. The funny thing is that the greens and oolongs tend to taste a bit like the black teas. They're good offerings, but they usualy maintain that Darjeeeling "muscatel" flavor. Don't let this turn you off though, they still taste great, I just prefer to go with greens and oolongs from the folks that have been producing them forever (the Chinese, and Japanese). That's a little snobby, isn't it?

Well anyway, the Thurbo Oriental Delight is exactly what an oolong from Darjeeling ought to taste like. It's light and gentle, and it's one of my favorite teas for when I just want some tea, but I don't want to make much of a commitment. Due to it's lightness, it tends to be downright refreshing, and it leaves you feeling quite alright. It's so light that describing it's flavor is a little difficult. Lauren and I spent a few minutes this morning trying to describe it, and we sort of came up blank, except to say that it was perfect for today.

I doubt that this tea is still avilable anywhere, but it's worth looking around if this sounds good to you. It was produced in a limited batch, and we just happen to be in Darjeeling when some of it was available last winter.

The leaves are large and unbroken, and it looks great when you brew it. There are all kinds of nice greens and browns in the tea before it's steeped. Take a look at the pictures above, and you'll see what I mean. It's a really attractive, light bodied tea. I highly recommend it.