1. Flush Darjeeling

First flush Darjeeling tea is simply tea made from the first plucking of leaves after the winter dormancy period from the tea growing area Darjeeling. The tender young leaves that are plucked at this time of year contain all the goodness and nutrients the plants have stored up over the winter. They also contain more caffeine than teas from later plucking periods, as the plants produce this to protect their tender young leaves from insect attack.

Darjeeling is one of India’s three main tea-growing regions and accounts for just 1% of the country’s total tea production. First flush Darjeeling teas tend to be less oxidised than later flushes and the dry leaves are often greenish in colour. Light, refreshing and aromatic, these teas are some of the purest and freshest teas the tea plant is capable of producing.

For more information about Darjeeling First Flush Tea please see our magazine article “Is Darjeeling first flush really black tea?“.