Spring Harvest in Darjeeling
By Nicole P., Tea Buyer
The most anticipated time of the year is upon us – the first flush season in Darjeeling, India. The season usually begins in mid-February when the earth starts to warm up after the plants’ winter dormancy. The newly sprouting tea leaves are packed with stored nutrients and plucked by hand in the traditional way – two leaves and a bud. Batch sizes are limited and their quality is unparalleled. First flush teas are sometimes referred to as “sunshine in a cup,” with a flavor that is delicate and smooth yet so full of brightness. The fresh and slightly floral aroma is enthralling.
Upton Tea Imports is proud to release the very first 2020 First Flush Darjeeling in the U.S. – Tindharia Estate First Flush FTGFOP1 (EX-1) Darjeeling Organic, plucked on February 28, 2020. A sprinkling of downy silver tips adorns the olive-green leaves, which yield a sparkling amber-gold cup fragrant with hints of fresh sweet corn. Upon first sip, an inviting effervescence awakens the palate. A buttery smooth mouth feel and tropical fruit sweetness embrace hints of flowers and corn silk, which linger into the finish. This organic selection provides an outstanding tea experience.
We see hundreds of samples every season and carefully choose the best lots to offer to our Valued Customers. When cupping first flush Darjeeling teas, one can imagine walking through a tea garden looking out on the majestic Himalayas, or through a garden filled with fresh vegetables and flowers, the sun shining brightly. Year after year, the Tindharia Estate first flush teas do not disappoint. Having worked directly with the tea grower for many years, the first Tindharia plucking is produced exclusively for Upton Tea Imports. We are grateful for our long-standing partnership and to be able to share this special tea and its story with our Valued Customers.
In the late 1800s, Tindharia village was established as a train workshop for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in South Kurseong, West Bengal, India. This area is known as the Lesser Himalayas. Tindharia Estate 2020 First Flush FTGFOP1 (EX-1) was produced from leaves plucked during the last week of February, at an elevation between 2,400 feet and 3,000 feet. At the beginning of the season, the dormancy period is over and the Darjeeling hillsides are radiant with young, fragrant leaves. Each plucker brings back less than one kilogram of leaves per day in comparison to the almost ten kilograms brought in per day during peak season. The freshly plucked leaves are left to naturally wither in a trough, and a hard wither is given to get the greenish character of first flush. This removes about sixty-five percent of the moisture. This process takes approximately 17 hours. The withered leaves are then rolled for thirty minutes, alternating intervals of varied pressure to ensure even roll and proper twist. The rolled leaves then undergo a very short oxidation step, which takes about fifteen minutes. This short oxidation helps retain a light liquor in the cup while allowing the fresh flavor to develop. The tea is then dried in an electric cabinet drier for fifteen minutes. The final step is to sort the leaves into various grades for packing. The teas then go to auction or are offered by private sale.
There are currently 87 tea gardens located in Darjeeling. Their varied elevations result in a staggered harvest during first flush season. Lower elevation gardens start producing weeks before higher elevation gardens. It is very interesting to compare and contrast harvests from various gardens. We are well known for our carefully curated selection of single-estate first flush Darjeelings. We invite you to sample a few to see the similarities and differences between these impressive lots.
Most of the Darjeeling gardens cultivate China plants, either clonal (from cuttings) or from seeds. This varietal of tea plant was brought to India in the mid 1800s by Robert Fortune, a famous Scottish botanist who was sought after by the East India Company to conduct research in China. His instructions were to find the best tea plants for green and black tea. At this time it was a risky mission as foreigners were forbidden to travel in China. He disguised himself as a Chinese merchant in the hopes of not being caught.
Fortune’s first stop was for green tea in Hangzhou, located in Zhejiang province. This is the home of Dragon Well, one of the ten most famous teas in China. Then he was off to the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian province to find black tea. After trial and error, he was successful in obtaining seeds from tens of thousands of plants, which he planted in Darjeeling, with the most famous of them all being tea. He built terrariums to transport the tea plants and seeds for the long trek from China to Darjeeling. Without this ingenuity and passion for plants, Darjeeling would not be what it is today.
We have a blend devoted to the so-called Tea Thief himself – TB84: Robert Fortune Blend, a wonderful combination of Darjeeling and Yunnan black teas. The brightness of the Darjeeling paired with the rich, earthy tones of the Yunnan are perfect for an afternoon tea moment.
We are grateful for our valued partnerships throughout the tea community. We were able to secure a total of six more lots of 2020 first flush Darjeeling that were plucked very early in this year’s season. We plan to airfreight these special teas as soon as India’s ports reopen. Due to COVID-19, the tea gardens were closed during March and April. Plucking, production and shipping were halted to keep the workers as safe and healthy as possible. At the time of printing of our quarterly, the first flush season is presumed to be cancelled as we do not know what to expect from the harvest after the tea gardens reopen. We hope that the second flush season will take place. Once the tea gardens reopen, tea bushes will have to be manicured, which will take a month, before they are ready for harvest. We will wait patiently with many cups of tea to soothe the soul. We hope that you, our Valued Customers, stay safe and healthy and celebrate the 2020 harvest with our Tindharia Estate 2020 First Flush.
As they say in India - “Chai Piyo Mast Jiyo" – Drink Tea, Live Carefree.