Rohini Enigma Gold 2nd Flush 2017 Darjeeling Tea from Lochan Tea

This week brought an exciting moment for me. I received a package of second flush Darjeeling teas from Lochan Tea. Again, just like the first flush samples I received a few months ago, it had been a while since I had enjoyed a fresh second flush Darjeeling tea.

Considering the political problems that the Darjeeling area is facing, I am especially grateful for the hard work of the Darjeeling laborers and estate managers who continue to do their jobs despite the uncertainty that they are living through. I am also especially thankful to the Lochan family for sending samples. Their generosity never waivers, despite harder times in the Darjeeling tea industry.

This particular sample is sourced from the Rohini Tea Estate, located in the Kurseong valley of the Darjeeling region of northern India. Click the link above for more information on the Rohini Tea Estate.

Let’s get to the review.

Rohini Enigma Gold 2nd Flush 2017 Darjeeling Tea Dry Leaves

The dry leaves have a very fresh, attractive appearance, with leaves varying from reddish-brown to dark brown, and a very generous portion of silver-yellow, fuzzy tips. The leaves have a two leaf and bud pluck, are machine rolled, and consists of large sized fragments to fully intact leaves and buds. The aroma has scents of roses, raw cocoa, dried apricot, and a slight earthy scent that does not seem to be an intended characteristic. Overall, the aroma is very welcoming, but the earthy scent does not add a positive note.

Dry leaves were infused in 200°F water for 3:00 minutes.

Rohini Enigma Gold 2nd Flush 2017 Darjeeling Tea Liquid

The tea liquid has a bright, pale gold color. The aroma has scents of roses, apricot jam, cocoa, and licorice. Luckily, the earthy scents from the dry leaves do not show up in the aroma of the liquid. The body is medium, with a lush, juicy feel. The taste has notes of roses, apricot, licorice, and very light raw cocoa. The aftertaste is fruity and a little spicy.

Rohini Enigma Gold 2nd Flush 2017 Darjeeling Tea Wet Leaves

The wet leaves have a uniform copper brown color. The pluck is two leaves and bud. There is a generous portion of fully intact leaves and buds. The leaves have a soft, smooth leathery texture. The aroma has scents of roses, apricot, and licorice.

The Rohini Enigma Gold 2nd Flush 2017 Darjeeling Tea is a very good quality second flush Darjeeling tea. I was very excited to open the sample packet and see the quality of the dry leaves. The earthy scent (slight mildew) of the dry leaves was a minor blemish on an otherwise excellent tasting experience. The tea liquid had a phenomenal mouth feel. The juicy, lush character was something that I have not experienced recently, so it was a nice reminder that such a texture exists. Considering all of the first flush Darjeeling teas that I had been reviewing over the past two months, the Rohini Enigma Gold was an excellent introduction to this year’s second flush Darjeeling teas. It is certainly a night and day difference from the Rohini Jethi Kupi 1st Flush that I reviewed in April.

At the moment, I am not able to find a retailer with shipping to the U.S. that is offering this product. I will update this post with pricing and a retailer once I find one.

Thank you to the Lochan family for providing this sample of Rohini Enigma Gold 2nd Flush 2017 Darjeeling Tea, and thank you to my readers who take their time to read this site!

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Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori Green Tea from Yuuki-Cha

The first harvest of the spring season is not only an exciting time for tea lovers because of the famous Darjeeling first flush teas that hit the markets. Tea growers in Japan also have some highly prized first flush teas, which they refer to as “Shincha”, which translates in to English as “new tea”. This first flush of Japanese grown tea is transformed in to some bright, tasteful, umami-rich versions of sencha, gyokuro, kamairicha, and matcha. Spring time is an awesome time of year to be a tea connoisseur.

The tea I am reviewing today, the Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori from Yuuki-Cha, is grown in the area of Makurazaki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. You can see it’s location in the south of the Japan archipelago in the Google map below.

As the name suggests, this shincha uses ichibancha (first harvest) leaves from Saemidori cultivar tea bushes. The Saemidori cultivar was developed by cross pollination of the more well known Yabukita and Asatsuyu cultivars. This tea is processed in the “fukamushi” (deep) steaming method. This deep steaming gives the finished leaves their dark green color, and helps accentuate the rich umami character of the tea. The tea is certified organic by JAS, as are all of the teas offered on the Yuuki-Cha website.

I always enjoy the packaging that the teas from Yuuki-Cha come in. A good, airtight seal on the packages keeps the contents as fresh as possible. Opening the package releases an explosion of fresh green tea scent. It’s an exciting moment for me!

Let’s get to the review.

Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori Dry Leaves

The dry leaves have two uniform colors, dark forest green and fresh, lighter green. The leaves are machine rolled, giving the standard long, tight roll appearance. There are a few stems in the mix, and no obvious tips, as expected. The leaves range in size from small crumbs to medium size fragments. I do not expect to find any full leaves in this mix. The aroma is incredible, with strong, sweet scents of brown sugar, sweet butter, grass, and cherry blossom. This tea defines freshness to me.

The dry tea leaves were infused in 160ºF water for 2:00 minutes on the first infusion, and 175ºF for 30 seconds on the second infusion.

Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori Tea Liquid

The tea liquid has a beautiful, bright jade green color. The aroma has scents of sweet grass, butter, cherry blossom, cooked spinach, and light touch of fresh kelp. The body is medium, with a rich, buttery feel, and perfectly balanced umami character. The taste has notes of sweet grass, cherry blossom, cooked spinach, kelp, and a slight mineral touch. The aftertaste holds an amazing floral and mineral character, which lingers in the mouth for an extended period.

Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori Wet Leaves

The wet leaves has a uniform fresh forest green color. The leaves have a very soft, delicate, silky texture. The leaves consist of small to medium size fragments, with a few stems and even a few buds in the mix. The aroma has scents of sweet butter, grass, cherry blossom, and a light touch of kelp.

The Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori is exactly what I was looking for in this year’s line of shincha green teas. An amazingly fresh and sensational green tea from start to finish, from the aroma of the dry leaves to the taste of the last drop of the third infusion. The rich, buttery feel and the perfect amount of umami keeps the experience interesting all the way through. The fact that this is an organic product just makes it all the more worthy of my full respect and appreciation. Well done!

You can purchase 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of the Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori from Yuuki-Cha for USD $20.93 plus shipping (which is reasonable, about $4 to Pittsburgh). Believe me, this tea is worth every penny!

Thank you for taking your time to read my review of the Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori. Have a great weekend!