An approach to 1st flush 2020 Darjeeling tea

An approach to 1^st flush 2020 Darjeeling tea:

    The 1^st flush 2020 Darjeeling tea harvest has started a bit early this year in few of the gardens situated in the foothills of Darjeeling. The high elevation tea growing areas of Darjeeling has received a good amount of winter rainfall too. So, we can expect to have a very good 1^st flush harvest from both the high and low elevation gardens of Darjeeling this year.

    The most important factor of a good 1^st flush harvest are the amount of rainfall the tea bushes receives during the winter period, also the day and night temperature difference plays a vital role for the new shoots and buds to grow. The warmer climatic conditions during the early and mid spring season help the tea bushes to conceive good quality young shoots and buds.

   The 1^st flush harvest in Darjeeling stretches from late February to mid weeks of May. The best quality teas produced during this period is always plucked as two leaves and a bud during the early 1^st flush period i.e. mid weeks of February to the mid weeks of March. The reason behind this thumb rule is that in the 1^st flush harvest tea lovers look for a certain character in the tea and i.e. the cup should have light liquor and the aroma should be of tender floral character so, this character of tea can only be achieved from tender shoots and buds.

      The teas produced during this period is not only delicious but are also extremely healthy since the tea bushes conceives the fresh shoots and buds after a long hibernation during the winter season and this newly born 2 leaves and buds contains high amounts of anti oxidants which is essential for all human beings.

   As usual we will taste as much tea samples from various gardens of Darjeeling and choose only the best teas and list it on our online store.For further updates please keep visiting our website www.teaemporium.net

An approach to 1st flush 2019 darjeeling tea

An Approach to 1^st flush 2019 Darjeeling teas:

       Every year after the autumn flush harvest ends at the 2^nd week of December we get to relax and take a break after a full year of work which includes tea tasting to procure the best teas and marketing them well and restore the revenues earned from the teas and keep the finances ready to procure the best teas again when the new harvest starts again during the next working year. This process keeps going on, again and again each year but trust me it does not get boring for us as each year we learn so many new things about the teas we procure from various gardens of Darjeeling and about the markets where we sell the teas every season.

      We have been experiencing a draught like situation almost every year during the 1^st flush Darjeeling tea harvest but this year we have received rain showers at regular intervals from the last week of January to the 1^st week of February, so it will be interesting to see the initial 1^st flush Darjeeling teas and it`s quality.

     This year the Tea Board of India has instructed all the gardens of Darjeeling to pluck the leaves only after the 11^th of February 2019 so that the leaf quality is good and the overall qualities of the new teas are of high quality.

   As our retail outlet is based in Darjeeling, India for more than 5 decades and having an in depth knowledge in this trade for last 3 generations we have noticed that the best climatic conditions for good 1^st flush Darjeeling teas needs a good amount of rainfall during the winter season when the tea gardens are closed and once the spring season arrives we need good sunshine during and the day and night temperature difference should also be about 9-10 degrees Celsius. We have also noticed that Darjeeling teas made from the young clonal cultivars like AV2 and P312 are commonly favourites among tea lovers these days.

    As usual we will taste as much tea samples as possible and procure only the best Darjeeling teas as usual. Please keep visiting our website www.teaemporium.net for further updates on the new 1^st flush 2019 Darjeeling teas.

   

An Approach to 2nd flush 2018 Darjeeling tea

An approach to 2^nd flush 2018 Darjeeling teas:

    We are again very excited to select the finest 2^nd flush 2018 Darjeeling teas for our tea lover friends living all over the world. The 2^nd flush harvest is of the most important harvest of Darjeeling tea industry as during this period the teas produced in Darjeeling hill has a unique “muscatel” flavour which tea lovers all around the world compare with the Muscat wine or Muscat grapes. Tea experts even claim that this is such a unique character in Darjeeling tea during 2^nd flush harvest that no other tea growing area in the world can replicate this character.

     The ideal time for 2^nd flush harvest in Darjeeling is last week of May to last week of June but this year we are seeing  some early 2^nd flush teas as tea bushes were pruned early last year in most of the garden of Darjeeling after the strikes. For a perfect 2^nd flush harvest the night and day temperature difference should not be more than 12-15 degrees Celsius .The finest muscatel 2^nd flush teas are made from the most dehydrated leaves and buds. A perfect 2^nd flush Darjeeling tea should have dark golden orange liquor, with fully brown infused leaves. The flavour should remind of dark chocolates and Muscat grapes and should have a sweet and strong after taste. These are the few thumb rules that we follow while choosing the finest teas in 2^nd flush harvest.

      We taste about 40 cups of different teas from various gardens of Darjeeling everyday and have already started choosing the best teas. We will inform all our tea lover friends after the selections are completed and the 2^nd flush list is ready.

    Till then we appreciate your patience and thank you for reading this article. Please keep visiting our website for best of Darjeeling tea harvests.

Namring Upper ( Premium ) EX-3 exotic Darjeeling tea 1st flush 2018

A top of the line super premium quality 1^st flush 2018 Darjeeling tea which has been plucked from the special and youngest 100% pure AV2 clonal bushes of this beautiful tea garden of Darjeeling.

   The dry leaves are well processed; the overall tea consists of 90% young unbroken silver tips in it. Only the youngest and tender most shoots and buds are used to manufacture this exceptional lot of Darjeeling tea. The dry leaves gives out delicious aroma of white roses, sweet grass, and slight hint of fennel seeds, vanilla and ripe white grapes.

    When steeped for complete 5 minutes, the cup gives out light yellow liquor. Each sip gives out a blast of multiple flavours of ripe mangoes, ripe grapes,  slight hints of almonds and leaves a lemony aftertaste on the palate.As the tea cools down in the cup multiple layers of delicious flavours can be felt.

 The best 1^st flush 2018 Darjeeling tea in our list and the champagne among all Darjeeling teas.

An Approach to Autumn Flush 2017 Darjeeling tea

An Approach to Autumn flush 2017:

    The Autumn flush 2017 Darjeeling tea harvest in Darjeeling started around the 3^rd week of October 2017. This year`s harvest was very different from previous year`s harvest due to the 104 days of strikes in Darjeeling from the month of mid June. Tea leaves from tea bushes were not plucked for more than 3 months and the overall gardens were filled with wild plants. So, the workers of various gardens were busy pruning the tea bushes so that we could get a very good 1^st flush harvest next year.

    The quantity of pure Autumn flush Darjeeling teas are very less this year and after intense tea tasting we have selected 3 top quality Autumn flush 2017 Darjeeling teas this year from Puttabong, Upper Namring and Margaret`s Hope tea estates.These teas are produced in very limited quantities during the peak Autumn flush harvest.

     We are sure everyone will appreciate these high quality teas this season from our list.

Glenburn Moonshine -elite EX7 Darjeeling tea 1st flush 2017

         
              A very special and premium lot of 1st flush 2017 Darjeeling tea which was exclusively plucked from 100% pure china bushes by expert pluckers during the peak harvest period of the early 1st flush harvest. The dry leaves are bold in size and consist of full size unbroken silver tips in it. When steeped for complete 5 minutes the cup gives out bright yellow liquor which releases a very flowery aroma of white roses, Lilly and a slight citrus type note. Each sip is truly delicious which reminds of dry coconuts and sweet dates which further leave a lingering after taste of sweet sticky boiled rice and exotic flowers.

     A master hand crafted Darjeeling tea which is a must try by all tea lovers.

An Approach to Autumn flush 2016 Darjeeling teas

An Approach to Autumn flush 2016 Darjeeling teas:

        The last and the much awaited harvest in the Darjeeling tea industry is the Autumn flush harvest. After 4 long months of rains we will finally get to taste some fine and high flavour Darjeeling teas from the various plantations of Darjeeling. During the monsoon period the teas produced in Darjeeling gives a strong cup with less flavour.

     The Autumn flush harvest lasts for a very small frame of time as it starts as soon as the monsoons are over and the tea bushes starts getting continuous sunshine and high climatic temperature during the day time and cold climatic conditions during the night. For a perfect autumn flush harvest the day and night temperature difference should not be more than 9-12 degrees Celsius. A perfect Autumn flush Darjeeling tea should have a dehydrated look in the dry leaf state, it should have a dark brownish dry leaf appearance. The cup should give out a bright orange liquor ,with a chocolate like flavour and each sip should be very fruity floral with clear hints of dry winter  leaves like smell that we usually get in the forests during the winters.

     This year it seems that the Autumn flush Darjeeling tea harvest is slightly late as it rained very heavily during the early weeks of October and in November we are finally getting some very sunny days. We are expecting very good Autumn flush Darjeeling teas this year and right after the Diwali holidays (from the 1^st week of November) are over, we are expecting the Autumn flush harvest to start, we are continuously tasting the samples of Darjeeling teas from various plantations of Darjeeling and as usual we will select only the best Darjeeling teas.

     Please keep visiting us at www.teaemporium.net for latest updates on the fresh Autumn flush 2016 Darjeeling teas.

An approach to 2nd flush 2016 Darjeeling tea 2016:

An approach to 2^nd flush 2016 Darjeeling tea 2016:

    We had a fantastic 1^st flush 2016 harvest in Darjeeling this year. The overall spring season was fruitful to all involved in the Darjeeling tea industry. We were able to see some of the finest Darjeeling teas produced from the young clonal tea leaves and some high quality classic Darjeeling teas made from the pure china leaves.

    This year the pure 1^st flush 2016 harvest started from the 1^st week of March 2016 and lasted till the 2^nd week of April. Almost all the gardens in Darjeeling are going through the dormant period at the moment and only few gardens in Darjeeling are getting a slight hint of the 2^nd flush harvest in their teas at the moment but we cannot call this a pure 2^nd flush character. The most important factors in the 2^nd flush harvest are the right climatic conditions and soil conditions. It should not rain during the peak time of this harvest as the best 2^nd flush Darjeeling teas are made from the most carefully plucked dehydrated leaves and shoots.

        Darjeeling tea is known for its Muscatel character which is most pronounced in each of the teas in 2^nd flush harvest. Tea lover all around the world compare this character with the Muscat grapes and wine. A perfect muscatel Darjeeling tea is made from pure china leaves. A perfect cup of Darjeeling 2^nd flush Muscatel tea should have golden orange liquor; the aroma should be heavy, filled with hints of freshly made chocolates, ripe peaches and dry fruits. Every sip should have an in-depth taste of exotic ripe fruits with a lingering sweet aftertaste. It is also very difficult to make a perfect batch of 2^nd flush Darjeeling tea as the peak time of this harvest only lasts for about 10-15 days. During this period of time a good tea maker has to choose and pluck the right leaves and fine tune his tea making skills to make the perfect tea. Once this peak time passes then the monsoon sets in and then it is impossible to make a perfect batch of 2^nd flush muscatel Darjeeling tea.

    We have been tasting a lot of samples from various garden of Darjeeling and we have also tasted tea samples from early 2^nd flush making gardens in Darjeeling like the Namring , Risheehat, Selimbong and Singell tea estates of Darjeeling and we feel that the perfect 2^nd flush 2016 Darjeeling teas will only start from the 2^nd week of June onwards.

      As usual we have planned only to procure the finest quality Darjeeling teas and this year we will concentrate more on the teas made from pure china leaves as we will offer more of the classic muscatel Darjeeling teas and few high quality clonal Darjeeling teas during the  2^nd flush 2016 Darjeeling tea harvest.

  Till then please keep visiting us for more details at www.teaemporium.net

Runglee Rungliot sftgfop-1 (Imperial) Ex-1 Darjeeling tea 1st flush 2016

Runglee Rungliot sftgfop-1 (Imperial) Ex-1 Darjeeling tea 1^st flush 2016

   It has really been an honour for us to taste and have the 1^st batch of Premium Darjeeling tea that rolled out from the garden this year. Mr Yogdeep Gurung who has joined this plantation as the Manager from this year has made some fantastic teas in this plantation which we had missed for many years. This is one of the most beautiful and a very old Garden of Darjeeling. This garden is famous for its classic Darjeeling teas made from its pure china bushes but now this garden is also known for its clonal/young teas made from its young clonal bushes, especially it`s RR clonal bushes. The term RR clone refers to Runglee Rungliot clone which was first conceived in this garden and now this clone of tea bush is also found at many others gardens of Darjeeling.

      We are really glad to offer this fantastic batch of tea from this garden this season and would also like to thank Mr. Yogdeep Gurung and company for giving us the opportunity to have this batch in our list this year.

    This particular batch is the top most quality early spring Darjeeling tea, plucked from the 100% pure RR (Runglee Rungliot) clonal bushes of this old and beautiful garden of Darjeeling. Only one leaf and a bud are plucked from the youngest clonal bushes to make this exceptional batch of Premium Darjeeling tea.

    The dry leafs are wiry, long and bold in size and has a large amount of unbroken silver tips in it. The dry leafs gives out fresh and delicious aroma of freshly plucked orchids and lily flowers.

    When steeped for complete 5 minutes the cup gives out pale yellow/greenish liquor. Each sip is silky smooth which reminds of flowers like lily and dandelion followed by a slight hint of parsley and fennel seeds.

A rare Premium high quality 1^st flush 2016 Darjeeling tea which is smooth, flowery and delicious!

Glenburn sftgfop-1 Ex-2 DELICACY 1st flush 2016 Darjeeling tea

Glenburn sftgfop-1 Ex-2 DELICACY 1^st flush 2016 Darjeeling tea

        We have added this awesome batch of tea from the Glenburn tea estate in our list this year. This plantation is famous for its young clonal bushes and speciality Darjeeling teas made from them. It has been some time since we have offered any teas from this plantation in the past. Our very good friend has joined this garden recently and he has been sending us the delicious 1^st flush samples from this plantation.

We are proud to taste and add the Glenburn sftgfop-1 Ex-2  DELICACY darjeeling tea 1^st flush 2016 lot to our list and assure all our tea lover friends that they will simply fall in love with this awesome batch of Darjeeling tea.

   This is an exclusive quality   1^st flush 2016 Darjeeling tea plucked from the young clonal AV2, T78 and P312 clonal bushes of this beautiful plantation of Darjeeling.

    Two leafs and a bud is very finely plucked from the young tea bushes and this made tea has been very nicely rolled and manufactured. The leafs are large in size which has bold silver tips in it. The dry leafs gives out delicious aroma of sugarcanes and jaggery in this state.

    When steeped for complete 5 minutes the cup gives out bright yellow liquor. Each sip reminds of peaches with slight hints of raw mangoes followed by a sweet honey like after taste on the palate.

  A delicious early season Darjeeling tea which is a must try for a true Darjeeling tea lover!

An approach to 1st flush 2016 Darjeeling tea

An approach to 1^st flush 2016 Darjeeling tea:

   It has been a very dry and cold winter in Darjeeling after the autumn flush harvest in Darjeeling since last weeks of December 2015. We received a very good rainfall on the 10^th of February 2016 which is surely a very good sign for the upcoming 1^st flush 2016 Darjeeling tea harvest. It’s very difficult to choose the right 1^st flush Darjeeling tea during the initial stage of the 1^st flush harvest as the amount of the fresh leaves and shoots on the tea bushes are very limited and most of the lots produced during this period often contains some winter leafs in it and if one is really in a hurry to get the 1st flush teas of the initial stage of the this harvest then he/she can land on buying a mixed lot or a batch of winter and spring mixed Darjeeling tea.So one has to be very careful while choosing the teas.

      Since we are in this trade for the last 70 years and have been tasting the samples of different teas right from the beginning to the end of the harvest each year we have seen that once the few rounds of plucking is done properly during this harvest we can get rid of the winter leafs   and only then we expect to get the fresh shoots and buds from the tea bushes which is actually used to make the 1^st flush Darjeeling teas.

    We have tasted few samples from few of the gardens of Darjeeling and Dooars and can say that this year the 1^st flush harvest is a bit late. We expect that we will get the early 1^st flush teas from the clonal bushes like the AV2, P312, and BB157 etc. The 1^st flush teas from the pure china bushes will take some time to arrive as the china bushes usually takes some time to conceive the new leafs and shoots during the early spring due to cold and dry conditions during this time.

     A pure and good 1^st flush Darjeeling tea should have a bright greenish appearance, filled with tiny white silver tips. The cup should give out bright yellow liquor in the cup with fruity-floral aroma with a bit of astringency at the end of each sip.

 As usual we will taste and only procure the early season pure and true first flush teas and start offering them to our tea lover friends all around the world through our website. Till then we request you to keep visiting us at our website www.teaemporium.net and our official face book page www.facebook.com/teaemporium

An approach to autumn flush Darjeeling tea 2015

An approach to autumn flush 2015 Darjeeling teas 2015

    The monsoon harvest has finally ended in all of the tea gardens in Darjeeling and we are all eagerly waiting for the fresh and new autumn flush 2015 Darjeeling teas to arrive.

     Like every year, even this year the people of Darjeeling were in a festive mood since the “Dushera” festival had started from the 13^th of October and was celebrated till the 23^rd of October and we were all very busy celebrating this festival.

    Since we have continuously tasted a lot of tea samples from about 45 plantations of Darjeeling year long this year we got the hint of autumn flush harvest in some of the teas harvested after the 23^rd of October 2015. This has occurred since the climatic conditions have changed a lot in Darjeeling after the “Dushera” festival. The afternoon has been very sunny and warm but right after the sunset it gets really cold as we move towards the night.

   The climatic conditions play a very vital role for this premium Darjeeling tea harvest . The temperature difference between the day and the night should not be more than 9-12 degree Celsius. For a perfect autumn flush tea harvest the days should be sunny and warm and the evening should be slightly cold. A perfect autumn flush Darjeeling tea should have a dehydrated leaf appearance with fewer tips in it. The cup should be golden orange in colour and the aroma of the tea should have a matured sweet and dry pine leaf like character in it.

      As mentioned earlier we have restlessly tasted many tea samples everyday and we will procure simply the best batches from different plantations of Darjeeling and we also assure our entire tea lover friends around the world that only the best batches will be offered as usual.

   Till then, keep sipping into the finest Darjeeling teas!

An approach to 2nd flush 2015 darjeeling teas

An approach to 2^nd flush 2015 Darjeeling teas.

    

The spring harvest or the 1^st flush 2015 Darjeeling tea harvest has just ended in all the gardens of Darjeeling. After almost 4 years we had a very good spring harvest this year as all the gardens of Darjeeling received a very good amount of rainfall this year. All the gardens of Darjeeling are going through the “banjee”period or the dormant period at this point of time and we are all looking forward to the 2^nd flush 2015 Darjeeling tea harvest.

     The 2^nd flush harvest is one of the most important harvest period for all the gardens in Darjeeling as this premium harvest lasts for only 12-15 days and it is very important for the tea makers to choose the right tea leaves during the right time during this harvest as the most important factors for perfect 2^nd flush Darjeeling teas are soil and climatic conditions.

    Darjeeling tea is particularly known for its unique muscatel character and this character is pronounced in almost all the Darjeeling teas during this harvest. The “Muscatel” is a character which is often compared with the Muscat wine or Muscat grapes and tea experts around the world claim that this character is found in Darjeeling teas during the 2^nd flush harvest. The best Muscatel Darjeeling teas are made from pure “china” bushes and the shoots and leaves during this harvest should be in an extremely dry/ dehydrated condition.

    A perfect 2^nd flush tea should be brown/ coppery in appearance filled with golden shoots or buds, the liquor should be golden orange in appearance, the aroma should have hints of chocolates, slightly spicy and each sip should be rich in taste with sweetness and no astringency at all.

    We have already started tasting the samples from various plantations of Darjeeling and we think it is still very early for the perfect 2^nd flush 2015 teas to arrive. We predict extremely good 2^nd flush teas will start coming in from 15th of June 2015 onwards and anything before that will be a pre- 2^nd flush tea.

     As usual we will do our best to procure the finest teas and will inform all our tea lover friends around the world once we complete our list of 2^nd flush 2015 Darjeeling teas.

Teesta Valley sftgfop-1 EX-1 Darjeeling tea 2015

Teesta Valley Tea Estate is one of the finest tea gardens in Darjeeling district. It is mostly famous for its high quality black and green teas. This plantation is on the eastern region of Darjeeling district. Mostly china bushes are found in this plantation. This is also one of the highest elevation gardens in Darjeeling, its slopes ranges from 2500 – 6500 feet above sea level.

      This wonderful garden of Darjeeling has been consistently producing excellent teas every season and every year they are improving with their high quality teas each year. We are once again proud and honour to offer the 1^st lot of fresh 1^st flush 2015 Darjeeling tea that rolled out of this garden this year.

This is a super quality Darjeeling tea plucked from 100% pure china bushes of this high elevation plantation of Darjeeling during the early spring harvest.

   The dry leafs are well twisted and sorted and has a lot of small size silver tips in it. The dry leafs gives out  delicious aroma of exotic flowers like jasmine and roses.

    When steeped for complete 4 minutes the cup gives out very bright yellow liquor in the cup. Each sip is super smooth and delicious which reminds of exotic flowers like jasmine and Rhododendrons and ends with a unique sweetness on the palate.

Runglee Rungliot sftgfop-1 EX-1 Darjeeling tea 2015

Runglee Rungliot sftgfop – 1 EX-1 Darjeeling tea 1^st flush 2015

   We had been sampling some of the fine tea samples from this beautiful plantation of Darjeeling from last year. The Manager of this plantation Mr.Prasad has been sending samples of some of his freshly manufactured 1^st flush 2015 teas to us for our reviews and I am really thankful to him. Since we have not offered any teas from this old plantation of Darjeeling for a long time I was also eager to offer a fine batch of Darjeeling tea from this plantation this year.

      We are honoured to offer the 1^st lot of 1^st flush 2015 Darjeeling tea from this plantation.     This is a superb and 1^st batch of premium 1^st flush Darjeeling tea plucked from the young china bushes of this reputed plantation of Darjeeling.

     The dry leafs are large in size and has a very greenish and bright appearance. The dry leafs gives out a very fruity- floral aroma.

       When steeped for complete 4 minutes the cup gives out slightly light yellow /golden liquor. Each sip reminds of exotic spring flowers, slightly nutty which further ends with a slight briskness on the palate.

  

An Approach to 2nd flush 2014 Darjeeling tea

  It is almost end of May 2014 and it is raining heavily in Darjeeling. We were all waiting for a heavy rain in Darjeeling as this year the tea industry in Darjeeling has suffered a lot due to a draught like situation.

      The whole of Darjeeling tea industry is gearing up for the next big tea harvest in Darjeeling; it’s time for the 2^nd flush 2014 Darjeeling tea harvest. This is one of the toughest harvests for the tea makers of different gardens of Darjeeling since this harvest lasts for only a short span of time. The pre 2^nd flush period starts from the end of the month of May and the 2^nd flush harvests ends with the starting of the monsoon. The peak time of 2^nd flush harvest which is eagerly awaited by both the tea lovers and the tea makers happens somewhere in between the 10^th of June to 20^th of June, well sometimes its slightly earlier, it all depends of the soil and climatic conditions.

        Darjeeling black teas are known worldwide for its unique muscatel flavour and this is the perfect time when the muscatel character is prominent in all the black teas made in Darjeeling. Tea lovers around the world compare this muscatel character of Darjeeling 2^nd flush teas with that of Muscat grapes/ Muscat wine.

     Some of the important factors for the 2^nd flush harvest are that we need a very dry climatic condition for a perfect 2^nd flush muscatel tea; the best muscatel teas are made from the most dehydrated leafs and shoots. In local language we call it “kakra”leafs; some of the gardens in Darjeeling have already started marking their best muscatel teas as “kakra musk”/ “kakra muscatel”.

     A perfect made 2^nd flush tea should have a dry deep brownish/coppery coloured leafs and a bit of gold tips in it. The Cup should have matured reddish / golden liquor and each sip should be musky, sweet and fruity with no bitterness at all.

    We have already started tasting a lot of samples from different plantations of Darjeeling and as usual we will start offering the fine teas once we get the best quality teas. Till then keep visiting our website for latest updates and enjoy the 1^st flush 2014 Darjeeling teas .

An approach to 1st flush 2014 Darjeeling teas

An Approach to 1^st Flush 2014 Darjeeling teas:

  We are all very excited in the Darjeeling hills to see the winter pass away since the much awaited 1^st flush 2014 crop season is about to start. We are also expecting a fantastic 1^st flush 2014 Darjeeling tea harvest this year as we have received at least 2 winter rainfalls this year. This is a great sign for a successful harvest this year. It has also rained during the month of February in Darjeeling after almost 5 years.

          The 1^st flush season for every Darjeeling estates is very important as this is the main harvest which fetches them high prices for their quality production. Some of the gardens in the lower portion of Darjeeling hills starts producing their 1^st flush teas by March 1^stweek but the teas produced and offered before the mentioned period is mostly mixed leafs from the winter harvest and very small amount of real 1^st flush teas are produced before the 1^st week of March.. For a true 1^st flush harvest every garden has to get rid of the old leafs of winter from their bushes and once the whole section of the plantation gets rid of their old leafs then the real and true 1^st flush harvest starts and we have noticed from last 2 decades that this harvest never starts before 1^st week-2^nd week of March.

         It is slightly warmer now in February in Darjeeling than the month of January and the right temperature difference between day and night for a good 1^st flush crop is about 9-11 degrees Celsius. Teas produced from the lower elevation garden looks more green in colour since the leafs contains more chlorophyll and the teas produced from high elevation are slightly darker is colour and contains lots of silver tips.

         A very good and well made 1^st flush tea should have well twisted greenish leafs and lots of silver tips. The liquor of the tea should be light golden (almost like champagne) colour and the aroma should be tenderly flowery/ fruity and a slight astringency should remain on the palate as an after taste.

   

          We have already started tasting some samples from few low elevation gardens in Darjeeling and personally feel that the true 1^st flush have not started coming yet. As usual we are eagerly waiting for exclusive 1^st flush teas from high elevation and reputed plantations of Darjeeling.

         We request all our valuable tea lover friends who have been blindly trusting us and buying our high quality teas from us from our online store or our retail store in Darjeeling to have patience and wait our list of true and high quality 1^st flush 2014 Darjeeling teas.

An approach to autumn Flush 2013 darjeeling tea

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 1^st week of October.

       This year we are expecting for the pure autumn flush teas to arrive after the 2^nd 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 1^st and the 2^nd 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!.

Risheehat Organic Musk sftgfop-1 DJ 128/ 2nd flush 2013 darjeeling tea

Risheehat Organic Musk sftgfop-1 DJ 128/ 2^nd flush 2013 darjeeling tea

   The Risheehat tea estate is one of the oldest plantations of Darjeeling and practices organic farming. Most of the bushes of this plantation are china origin bushes so most of the teas produced by this plantation are classic style Darjeeling teas. This plantation is divided into two sub divisions and they are the Risheehat and Liza hill subdivisions. Both the subdivisions are supervised by Mr.Jha (superintendant, tea maker, Jayshree tea ltd.)

       This year we have selected a classic style 2^nd flush tea from this planation.The dry leafs are well twisted and are smaller in size. The dry leafs gives out delicious aroma of sugarcanes, nuts and caramel.

         When steeped for complete 4 minutes the cup gives out bright orange liquor in the cup and a unique aroma of roasted peanuts can be felt on the nose. Each sip reminds of ripe grapes, slightly woody and ends with a sweet muscatel taste on the palate.

    We guarantee that this one of the finest quality classic muscatel Darjeeling tea variety from this reputed plantation of Darjeeling and is available at an extremely affordable price. We also assure that no other vendor can match with this tea`s quality and price.

 

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Margaret`s Hope ( Summer Delight) 2nd flush 2013 Darjeeling tea

The 2^nd flush 2013 Darjeeling tea harvest started about 10-12 days early this year due to the sudden rainfall in the 3^rd week of May. We were continuously in touch with the tea makers of different plantations of Darjeeling all throughout the month of May.

       I personally feel that this year the climatic and soil conditions are favourable for the Margaret`s Hope Tea Estate right from the 1^st flush 2013 harvest as this plantation has been making some of the best lots of tea this year.

     I am really proud to have and offer this lot of exceptional Darjeeling tea from the 2^nd flush 2013 harvest from Margaret`s Hope tea estate. It is the Margaret`s hope (Summer Delight) 2^nd flush 2013.

         This is a very small batch of clonal tea plucked from the high elevation AV2 clonal bushes of the “Edenvale” section of this plantation. The dry leaf are wiry in appearance and come in colours of gold  ,olive and reddish brown and has a lot of bold silver and gold unbroken tips. The dry leaf gives out extremely delicious flavours of vanilla, dark chocolate and roses.

         When steeped for complete 4 minutes the cup releases bright golden liquor. Each Sip reminds of crisp white wine. There is the dryness to the tongue, the slight hints of different fruity flavours that you coax can tease until they fade or morph into something else entirely.

      In simple words “an exceptional tea of the 2^nd flush 2013 Darjeeling tea harvest”.