Darjeeling First Flush

2021 Darjeeling First Flush

With the region's diverse terroirs and varied climates, Darjeeling's first flush teas are a special event. As the gardens awaken from the harsh mountain winter, the tea plants spring into life, producing their first – and most sought after – new growth. While there's an increasing clamour for ever more delicate first flush teas, we prefer a more balanced cup at Galerie du Thé. After much tasting, we selected this beautiful FTGFOP1 from the organically-managed Barnesbeg garden. The leaves were picked 26 March 2021.

Darjeeling is one of the most beautiful tea regions in the world. Tucked away in the mountainous valleys between Nepal and Bhutan, visiting Darjeeling is like entering a mystical kingdom in the sky – a kingdom ruled by tea. Overlooked by the mighty Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the Himalayas, Darjeeling has all the drama you could ever need. As you weave through its forested foothills, the beautiful tea gardens are interspersed with rhododendrons, orchids and azaleas. The Barnesbeg estate sits high in the north of the region, not far from the Sikkim border. Spread across hillside slopes ranging from 250 to 1000 metres, the garden enjoys a cool, balmy climate, fed by the Little Rangeet river which winds through the estate.