First Flush Darjeeling
First Flush Darjeeling
A bright, fresh tea plucked during the April Buddha Jayanti full moon.
Grown and crafted by the Small Growers Cooperative - a group of 60 families working together to control their own destiny, and produce some of the best tea in the world.
Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes
This Himalayan tea is an early pluck, straight after the dormant winter, rich in stored sweetness. Highly fragrant and floral it is light and elegant as a green tea whilst combining the satisfying malty, chocolate notes that will be more pronounced in the Second Flush. Best enjoyed without milk.
Cost Per Cup
Cost Per Cup
37p per cup based on 2.5g of tea per 150ml of water and 3 infusions.
Origin
Origin
Mirik Valley, Darjeeling, India
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Recommended Infusion Guide
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Quantity
Use 2.5g of tea per 150ml of water.
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Temperature
For the optimum infusion use 80°C water.
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Time
Infuse for 90 seconds, tasting regularly.
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Infusions
You can infuse this tea at least three times. With each careful infusion, different subtleties of flavour are revealed.
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Quantity
Use 0.1 oz of leaf per 5.5 fl oz of water.
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Temperature
For the optimum infusion use 176°F water.
-
Time
Infuse for 90 seconds, tasting regularly.
-
Infusions
You can infuse this tea at least three times. With each careful infusion, different subtleties of flavour are revealed.
-
Quantity
-
Temperature
For the optimum infusion use 80°C water.
-
Time
Infuse for 90 seconds, tasting regularly.
-
Infusions
You can infuse this tea at least three times. With each careful infusion, different subtleties of flavour are revealed.
More infusion tips
How to infuse your tea is very personal, and these are just our recommendations based on experience. Please experiment with these variables to your heart's delight. These are our recommendations, not hard and fast rules. The most delicious tea is the one you love.
Our guide uses a standard tea cup size (150ml/5.5 oz) as a measure, please adjust the quantity of leaf accordingly for less or more water. Our whole loose leaves are of such a high quality that you can infuse our teas at least twice, and the second infusion is often better than the first, with different flavours revealed as the leaf softens. If you prefer your tea stronger, add more leaf, don’t leave it for longer (this will just make it bitter).
Buddha Jayanti full moon
This Darjeeling first flush tea was plucked during a 2023 Buddha Jayanti full moon.
The Small Growers Society use traditional farming methods without any chemical pesticides and herbicides. Even before the popularity of organic tea, the land was kept untouched by chemicals, in part due to the high costs, and an unwillingness to become dependent on products they could not produce themselves.
Many varieties of herbs, fruits and vegetables are grown alongside the teas to ensure rich biodiversity.
An independent cooperative
This loose leaf tea comes from a community of 60 independent families working together within the specially designated region of Darjeeling. The cooperative is nurtured by the pioneering organic tea farmer Rajah Banerjee. They work under truly organic and regenerative principles
Before the cooperative the growers had no direct route to market and so their leaves were sold to larger tea companies. They had no control over the price they would be paid nor the end quality of the tea.
By purchasing their own tea processing equipment they now have control over the end product, allowing them to craft higher quality loose leaf Darjeeling tea and retain the value of their leaves and craft.
Yanki & Allan Rai
The Small Tea Growers Society was founded by Yankhu Tamang (Yanki) & her son Allan Rai.
Yanki founded the society to look after her fellow local tea farmers and not be forced to supply giant agribusiness who showed no concern for the local community or the land.
Her son Allan Rai is an experimental tea maker who focuses on the crafting of their precious leaf into truly extraordinary tea.
Darjeeling is an area high in the Eastern Himalayas with Nepal to the West, Bhutan to the east, Sikkim to the north and tibet and West Bengal to the south.
Bunkulung village in the Mirik valley is a secret, hidden jewel on the western edge of Darjeeling. It is thought to be one of the first places tea was cultivated in India in the 1840s. This magnificent, unspoilt terroir is surrounded by subalpine forests, orange groves and sits above the Balason river basin.
The Small Growers Society is spread across the valley ranging from 1000 to 1980m elevation above Mirik Lake.
Shipping, delivery & more...
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What is IOSS?
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Up until the 1st July 2021, no import VAT has to be paid for commercial goods of a value up to EUR 22. New VAT eCommerce rules abolished this provision as of 1st July 2021. Thus, from 1 July 2021, all commercial goods imported into the EU from a third country or third territory is subject to VAT irrespective of their value.
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