First Flush Darjeeling
First Flush Darjeeling
First Flush Darjeeling
First Flush Darjeeling

First Flush Darjeeling Loose Leaf Black Tea

7 reviews
£10.99
(37p per cup)
336 in stock

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.

UK Shipping Rates
UK Tracked - Two Day Tracked £3.99
UK Express - Next Day* Tracked £5.49
UK Express - Next Day* Courier from £8.49
FREE UK Tracked when you spend £30 or more
FREE UK Express - Next Day* when you spend £60 or more

Europe Shipping Rates
Europe Tracked Delivery from £4.99
Europe Express Courier from £21.99
FREE Europe Tracked when you spend £50 or more

Worldwide Shipping Rates
Worldwide Tracked Delivery from £5.99
ROW Express Courier from £20.49
FREE Worldwide Tracked when you spend £50 or more

*Subject to next day cutoff and postcode location. Availability of rates depends on location and order weight. For a complete overview of our shipping rates please see our delivery page.

Customer Reviews
5.0 Based on 7 Reviews
5 ★
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7
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WB
04 August 2023
william B.
United Kingdom United Kingdom

if you think you don't like Darjeeling

Like many I have had my fair share of unappealing Darjeelings and seldom buy it but here we have something totally different. it is more like a green tea but with extra body. What can I say other than that I have already reordered with double quantity and will soon be back for more

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JC
04 August 2023
Jack C.
United Kingdom United Kingdom

First Flush Darjheeling

A very delicate tea, increasingly complex with subsequent brewing (no more than two). Ideal with a slice of unwaxed lemon. Highly recommended

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CB
08 August 2023
Clive B.
United Kingdom United Kingdom

First Flush Darjeeling

Dear Henrietta, I am halfway through the packet and still experimenting with leaf to water ratios. It has a lovely colour but I am disappointed , I expected more flavour. But I am enjoying the Lost Malawi.

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CT
18 April 2024
Claire T.
United Kingdom United Kingdom

Joyful First Flush Darjeeling.

Just spectacular!!

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BT
22 May 2024
Bridget T.
France France

A wonderfully delicate Darjeeling

This light, fragrant, yet flavourful Darjeeling is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. I love it. Sadly the quality of Darjeeling has declined in recent years. Well done Rare Tea for finding this one.

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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.

Quantity

Use 2.5g of tea per 150ml of water.

Temperature

For the optimum infusion use 80°C (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.

Cost Per Cup

37p per cup based on 2.5g of tea per 150ml of water and 3 infusions.

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.

DARJEELING, INDIA

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.

Small Tea Growers Society

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.

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