Review #18: Singtom Estate BPS "In-Between" and Singbulli Estate SFTGFOP1

maybe I'll get some work done tonight

or maybe not. either way, two Darjeelings bought from Upton. These are teas, not whiskies, by the way.

Singtom BPS In-Between, Organic

well, if "In-Between" is for people who can't decide between first flush and second flush, then that's for me. it costs less than either, too, although it's a lower grade. (I guess "BPS" is just the Darjeeling way of saying Broken Pekoe -- strange I had to look that up when SFTGFOP1 makes perfect sense to me.)

dry vegetal nose with some floral fruit -- like quince or apricots, very faintly. palate is much lighter than I expected -- somehow it imparts the taste of green tannins without the bite. so overall it is a little bit of first flush and a little bit of second flush, but not exactly the best of both worlds. still nice for the price.


Singbulli Estate SFTGFOP1

this one was pricey -- almost 10x as much, I think.

ah, the Benriach 1976 of Darjeeling. Not the finest nose ever, but filled with tropical fruit (pineapple, lychee) and the herbaceousness is less stemmy and more herbal (as in fines herbes). it's all very delicate, of course, and on the palate it's already a memory, but some new flavors -- almond paste, buttercups -- come in with the aftertaste.

very nice, but you could miss it all if you weren't paying close attention.