The Autumn Flush harvest is the last and the final
harvest of the year in the Darjeeling tea industry. This premium harvest period
is awaited for a long time by both the tea lovers and the tea growers. This
premium harvest takes place after the monsoon harvest which stretches from the
month of July to 1st week of October.
This year we
are expecting for the pure autumn flush teas to arrive after the 2nd
week of November 2013 as the “Dashera festival” has taken place on the mid
weeks of October 2013 followed by a cyclone which has delayed this premium
harvest.
The Autumn
flush harvest takes place for a very short period of time and the tea maker has
to be very careful right from the beginning to the end of the tea production,
as soon after this harvest the winter arrives and there is no tea production in
Darjeeling in the whole of the winter season till the starting of March.
A very good
autumn tea should have a very dehydrated look in the dry leaf state and the
aroma should be very matured and dry. The liquor in the cup should be slightly
dark with rich after taste. The climatic conditions play a very vital role for
the production of autumn flush teas. The temperature difference between the day
and the night should be not more than 12-13 degrees Celsius. The autumn flush
teas are normally high fired and fermented for a longer time than the 1st
and the 2nd flush teas as a result of which these teas are richer in
taste and has a longer shelve life.
This year we are expecting to have a great autumn flush
harvest as there have been sufficient rains and the weather looks great at this
point of time. We have already started to taste the samples from various
plantations of Darjeeling and we will have the list of teas as soon as we
receive the pure and fine autumn flush 2013 teas. Till then have patience and
drink the fine teas that are already available in our list of premium teas!.
