Grand Reserve 2nd Flush 2015 (Darjeeling)

This batch was picked from Makaibari Garden in Darjeeling. The garden was the first to be organic certified in Darjeeling and possibly the world. Rajah, who is the 4th generation owner, is a pioneer of organic tea agriculture. Makaibari is 70% natural forest, practicing bio-diverse farming. The tiger in the picture lives on the garden.

It’s very unusual to find a Darjeeling with leaves of this quality, particularly in the 2nd flush season, which is May/June. A second flush tea is often more oxidised than a 1st flush; they look darker than a 1st flush tea, which would be picked in March to early May. As the leaves infuse, they unfurl to show their largely intact structure. Whole leaves mean the flavour infuses out of the leaf without the bitterness that is released when leaves are broken.

Infuse 3g per 150ml (teacup/glass). Use water that’s just below boiling, at 90°C. Infuse the leaves for 3 mins.   In the glass, the tea is a coppery orange hue. Allow it to cool and open up. There are the famous muscatel notes; sweet and grape-like at first with a dry, soft tannin finish. The 2015 batch has a smoother character to last year, with slight nuttiness on the nose.