All About Darjeeling First Flush

Darjeeling First Flush – The Champagne of Teas

Tea growers in Darjeeling consistently produce some of the most interesting and unique teas in the world. Some first flush Darjeelings are known as the ‘champagne of teas’ by connoisseurs. Although this region produces significantly less than the Assam region, the teas produced here is what makes it so special.

Why Choose a First Flush Darjeeling?

Darjeeling is in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas and the teas here are cultivated at altitudes of 800–2000 meters. Generally it’s said that the highest tea gardens in this region produce the best quality first flushes. The first recorded plantations date from 1856, and that number has now grown to at least 80 gardens producing these beautifully unique teas.  

The reason Darjeeling can produce such fantastic first flush teas is due to a mixture of natural advantages such as:

– The rich, slightly acidic soil
– The high-altitude
– The soil drainage due to the mountain side plantations
– An average temperature of 25°C
– The weather patterns created due to the altitude

When is the First Flush Season?

The first flush period runs from mid-March to mid-May with processing taking between 4-6 weeks. The characteristics of a first flush Darjeeling are a flowery, fresh taste, a light bodied liquor and a definitive, complex aroma. The cue to pick the first two leaves and are bud are dictated by the mountain sun, reviving the shoots of the Camellia sinensis. The late arrival of spring to Darjeeling, also felt by us here in the UK. It has affected the arrival of this year’s first flush but it’s finally arrived with yet again another fantastic tea produced by the Monteviot Estate. We can now proudly offer you the Monteviot Estate 1st Flush.