Risheehat Clonal Flowery Second Flush 2010

This second flush Risheehat is another lovely tea I purchased from Thunderbolt Tea (can't wait for my next order to arrive in a couple of weeks...) - I have been drinking lots of it over the last little while and enjoying it greatly!

When I first opened the packet there was a lovely burst of flowery aroma - roses? maybe gardenias? - sadly since it has been in its new tin the flowery scent has faded (it seems quite common for the taste and aroma of tea to change once it has been opened, no matter how well I try to store it) but there remains a very pleasant, rich warm smell in the dry leaves - it kind of reminds me of a dark spicy gingerbread, or almost chocolatey? It is not as 'muscatel'-smelling as some other Darjeeling teas that I've tried. This is not a complaint.

My nose is a bit blocked so I can't detect much in the wet leaves today, but previously I have noted some tropical fruit notes - pineapple definitely and a bit of passionfruit as well perhaps?

The brewed tea (3 minutes seems about right, as recommended on the website - scroll down to get to the Risheehat) is moderately brisk and makes my mouth tingle a bit. The further you get into the cup the cleaner and sweeter the lingering aftertaste. When my taste buds are functioning properly I can definitely detect those tropical fruit notes. 'Lush' is a word that comes to mind to describe this tea. The first infusion is the best; a second is possible but the flavour is fairly muted - although that said it is also forgiving, because half the time I pour in a second lot of water into the teapot and then can't get around to drinking it for quite a while!