Tea: Temi SFTGFOP1 First Flush Black Tea
A Black Tea from Republic of Tea
| Brand: | Republic of Tea |
| Style: | Black Tea |
| Region: | Sikkim, India |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Loose? | Loose |
| # Ratings: | 4 View All |
| Product page: | Temi SFTGFOP1 First Flush Black Tea |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1448 teas reviewed
✓ 496 of Black Tea
✓ 949 of Pure Tea (Camellia sinensis)
✓ 15 of Republic of Tea
✓ 3 from Sikkim, India
✓ 206 from India
Review of Temi SFTGFOP1 First Flush Black Tea
August 7th, 2013
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 8 of 10 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 87 of 100 |
| Excellent | Excellent | Good Value |
A delightful tea of top quality, also somewhat different and unusual, darker in character than Darjeeling first flush.
Dry leaf has a light, fruity smell which is almost slightly more reminiscent of some very high grades of Chinese tea than like any Indian teas I've tried.
I found this tea drastically changed character on the basis of how it was brewed, but I found the temperature didn't influence the cup much, just the leaf amount and steeping time.
Brewed stronger, it was fruity and floral, a little like the Muscatel grape of Darjeeling tea, with deep caramel tones and a bit of malty character as well. A hint of wintergreen, just like I like, but a dry, slightly astringent finish. Has a strong cooling quality.
When I brewed it for a briefer time, it had strong vegetal qualities in the aroma that for whatever reason didn't come out in the longer steeping. This cup had tones of asparagus, anise, and olive and was quite unusual and different. The pleasant wintergreen tones were still present, and the cup also had oolong-like qualities, like a woody aroma.
I recommend using less leaf than recommended. With 4 minutes and 1 teaspoon, this tea came out too strong for my tastes. It's not too bitter so much as just too intense. It also seems to have quite a lot of caffeine in it, so bear that in mind.
Brewed the way Republic recommends, most of the flavor was gone after the first cup, but when I used a 2 minute steeping, I was able to brew a second (but not third) very flavorful cup. I recommend 2 minutes followed by 5 or so if you want to make two cups. This wouldn't be a prime candidate for gong fu brewing.
The price on this is very reasonable...$8 for 50 grams, considerably cheaper than other teas of a similar grade and complexity, and I think this tea is a good buy for this price.
Rare Tea Republic also sells this same tea, I'm reviewing the one from Republic of Tea and also it's a different batch, but it's recognizable as the same tea. I actually preferred this batch.
