Country of Origin: India
Leaf Appearance: small, varied shades of greens and browns
Ingredients: black tea
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 180 degrees
Preparation Method: bone china teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: sunny gold
Today’s post kicks off an entire week of 1st Flush Darjeeling from +Happy Earth Tea . Believe it or not, I drank all five of them in one night. In many ways this type of Darjeeling more closely resembles as a green tea. Most retailers still categorize them as black tea though. The first one up to bat was a SFTGFOP1 from Puttabong, one of the oldest estates in Darjeeling. The taste was delicate and sweet yet wonderfully complex. There were floral notes along with surprising hints of green pepper. Talk about spring in a cup! The finish left an almond-like affect that reminded of the Phoenix oolong called Ju Duo Zai. I must confess to being more a 2nd Flush person but this one was truly exceptional. I love that it is organic, Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance certified.
Puttabong 1st Flush Darjeeling 2014 sample provided by Happy Earth Tea.