Springside Darjeeling Autumnal Flush
After playing around with first flush teas from Puttabong and Arya Estates, I shift focus to autumnal flush Darjeelings. First among those: Springside Estate’s autumnal flush. Year unknown.
Springside Estate is at the southern end of the Darjeeling region and has a relatively small annual output. Before seeing it in my local tea shop, Tea Leaves, I’d never heard of it.
Arya Ruby: Darjeeling 1st Flush 2008
Next up in this week-long Darjeeling festival: Arya Estate’s Ruby 2008 1st flush. This is among the most visually appealing teas I have ever had the privilege of enjoying.
In its dry state, the Ruby is a blend of earthy browns and cream-coloured buds. Once steeped, the leaves unfurl into large, mostly unbroken leaves – testifying to the pain-staking effort and finesse of the tea workers at Arya Estate.
Puttabong Clonal Exclusive: Darjeeling 1st Flush 2007
One of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve picked up about brewing Darjeelings is this: let them steep about 3 minutes, then check them every 30 seconds until they’re ready. Darjeelings have a nasty habit of turning very bitter, very quickly.
But you can also go too far in the opposite direction, as I discovered with this sample of Puttabong Clonal Exclusive 2007 1st flush, graciously sent my way by Jo from Ya-ya Teahouse. Tea needs enough steeping time to develop complexity and body.
Shincha: Anticipating 2009's First Japanese Green Teas
In a world where supermarkets stock a never-ending supply of tea, have we lost the thrill of anticipation? Do we remember the feeling of waiting for a new harvest to yield a fresh crop of tea?
An email from O-Cha this morning reminded me: 2009’s first harvest is drawing near. And O-Cha have four shinchas ready to pre-order, from four different Japanese tea gardens.
Fair Trade Organic Tea and the Ethics of What We Drink
When we purchase cheap supermarket tea bags, we save money; but who is paying the price? The majority of tea produced worldwide is sprayed with a plethora of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals, all for the simple purpose of increasing crop yields. The people who work these plantations, picking two leaves and a bud morning to night, year-round, pay for our cheap tea with their health.
