Darjeeling First Flush...Early Spring Tea from the Himalayas...
Tea Lovers Anxiously Await the Arrival of Darjeeling First Flush Each Year...For Good Reason...
The early spring buds and leaves of Darjeeling First Flush are ... ... Learn More
Product Details
Tea Lovers Anxiously Await the Arrival of Darjeeling First Flush Each Year...For Good Reason...
The early spring buds and leaves of Darjeeling First Flush are bursting with high value content that will yield delicate but aromatic and flavorful cup character.
The Darjeeling First Flush leaves are carefully processed to preserve the leaf content and to bring out the ingredient character yielding a golden broth that could be mistaken for a green tea.
Notice the green flecks of tealeaf amongst the Darjeeling First Flush leaves. This is a result of withering, which is a step in black tea processing. In the case of our Dareeling First Flush, a very hard wither is done to remove a lot of moisture before the browning of the leaves during oxidation, making the leaves into black tea.
Some leaves or portions of leaves dry completely and therefore don't brown resulting in the green flecks...a sign of a proper First Flush Darjeeling.
It is the high oxidation level however that defines this First Flush as a black tea as it reminds us of the amazing range that black teas can have.
The Darjeeling First Flush experience is an annual treat very worth indulging in.
This Second Flush has a somewhat deeper character with the classic "Muscatel" aroma that gives this tea the reputation for being the "Champagne" of black teas...This version is wonderful...
This "Champagne of Black Teas" grows a mile high in the Himalayan foothills if India. Although this highly revered tea grows in the Indian soils of the Himalayan mountains in Darjeeling, the plants themselves were smuggled from China during the Opium Wars and planted in the British colony to reduce dependence on China teas.
Now, over 200 years later, the outstanding leaves of this high mountain Darjeeling First Flush give us delightful high-mountain black teas that have earned the title of "The Champagne of Black Teas" because of their golden tones in the broth, and the aroma nuance of the Muscat grape.