With three down and two to go in my Culinary Tea's Darjeeling sampler, I'm a bit concerned I've already reached the point of diminishing returns. Margaret's Hope is clearly a high quality, excellent tea, but I honestly struggled to find that much of a difference in flavors between this and the Castleton Darjeeling. Don't get me wrong, this is a fine, super high quality tea, and I'm glad that I'm finally developing a better taste and appreciation for Darjeelings in general. It's just that while the Soom was distinct and quite different, these last two have been a bit similar. I have two more to try, the Mim and the Tukdai, so perhaps there will be more variation to be found in the last two samples.
So, then Margaret's Hope Darjeeling is a second flush, FTGFOP tea. Second flushes typically have more developed flavors, and FTGFOP is fine tippy golden flowery orange pekoe, full leaves composed mostly of the higher quality tips. Bearing in mind my difficulties with the Castleton, I brewed the Margaret's Hope like an Oolong, at water just under a boil for about three minutes, and met with success. The tea brewed up a pale brown, with a delicate, clean nose. The flavors were distinct, as with all the Darjeeling I've tried so far, and the profile is nicely balanced. Floral notes predominate, without much of the "Muscat" wine-like note that Darjeeling is most famous for, and also none of the natural crisp smokiness of the Soom.
Margaret's hope is really a high quality cup of tea, but not the most exciting cup I've had, even within the constraints of the Darjeeling area. It's mellow and clean, with mild astringency and natural dryness. On the whole, though, I think I'd reach for a quality green or white before this one. Score: 83 (B-)
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