A Special Reserve lot of the true and original Muscatel Darjeeling, brimming with chocolate, ripe fruits, spices and flowers. Made by the first creators of Muscatel Darjeeling - Castleton Tea Estate.
Muscatel is an abused word in tea.
It should mean a Summer-picked Darjeeling tea which is brimming with an explosion of fruity, floral and dessert wine muscatel aromatics.
But in most cases, producers just call all summer-picked Darjeelings 'Muscatel' without any consideration of it if has any of those special characteristics.
And so, every year, I sample a host of supposed 'Muscatel' trying to find those elusive qualities.
This tea is an explosion of Muscatel, with similarities to Eastern Beauty (Dong Fang Mei Ren) and Gui Fei Oolongs from Taiwan but with extra heat and spice.
Take a trip through a hot Indian market selling ripe and redolent fruits like mango, cherries and overripe grapes.
Nestled amongst the fruit stalls are the finest spice merchants, where you catch a noseful of fresh, fruity turmeric, bracing saffron and warming cinnamon.
Resin incenses and flowers are being sold - elderflower and geranium adding a sweet brightness to the aromatic mix.
Our 2025 Castleton Reserve is also heavy on the dark chocolate and stouty, malty, ginger cakes.
Just scrumptious.
Castleton Estate in Darjeeling is the originator of Muscatel tea. Back in 1985, they created a tea from summer pickings of old Chinese heritage bushes, which astounded them. They termed it Muscatel for its fruity aromatics reminiscent of Muscatel wine grapes. The market went crazy and, ever since, all of the other tea estates have tried to make their own Muscatel.
A lot of these other Muscatels really have no Muscatel character and are just called 'Muscatel' to denote that it is a Summer tea (and to try to grab some of the interest in this tea style). Some Muscatel from other estates is good, but it is a widely held opinion that no one holds a candle to Castleton. This Special Reserve lot is the best that we sampled from Castleton, so this truly is the cream of Muscatel.
What makes a Muscatel? According to my discussions with producers in Darjeeling, there are a few key factors.
Firstly, the tea bushes should be of Chinese heritage. The original bushes planted in Darjeeling came from Chinese seeds of the small leaf variety, which is not native to India. Tea made from plants coming from this lineage (as opposed to clonal tea) is necessary to make good Muscatel.
The bushes which make great Muscatel should also be older with a root system established over many decades. Castleton is renowned for pioneering a bush preservation policy since the 1980's - instead of uprooting low-yield old bushes (which is common practice), they have been pruning them down to about 8 inches from the ground to stimulate new growth while keeping an old root system. I think that this is fundamental to making exemplary Muscatel.
Secondly, Muscatel has to be picked in the summer, usually in June. The hotter temperature and humidity produce different qualities in the leaf and will bring about more insects. A few nibbles here and there can stimulate the defensive response of an entire part of the estate and build more bug-bitten flavour.
Lastly, the skill of the producer is paramount to recognise the prime batches and treat them with extra attention to bring out that trademark Muscatel character.
Of course, there are many other factors, such as soil and aspect, but you get the idea - Muscatel tea cannot just be made with any tea leaves on any estate.
I hope that you enjoy the Crown Jewel of Muscatel.
