2021 First Flush Teas

2021 Indian First Flush Teas – (Darjeeling and Dooars)

Between the months of March and May, after the first spring rain, comes the longawaited sight of beautiful new soft green shoots contrasting with the colour of the tea trees. Full to bursting with rich aromatic substances which have slowly built up since the end of winter, they give us the first teas of the year, which many people consider to be the finest.

Once again, the 2021 vintage has some wonderful surprises in store for us, highlighting the characteristics of each garden and the signature of each producer.

What’s special about the 2021 harvest?

Unlike last year, work didn’t grind to a halt in the spring, but although the Covid-19 pandemic got worse in India, no case has been identified in the tea gardens which are some distance away from the large cities. However like last year the first flushes arrived late because of the exceptional weather conditions.

A particularly intense period of drought hit northern India this winter and early spring. The rainfall for the month of March 2021 was less than half that of 2020. This resulted in a delay to the harvest and a reduction in volumes, but also an increased concentration of juices in the buds with an impact on the flavour profile of the teas.

This concentration of aromatic substances produces brews with beautifully rich textures and complex flavours from all the gardens, a little less airy but more mature.

Our 2021 favourite

• Himalayan secret
• Holi beauty
• Spring blossom
• Tara’s offering
• Potong
• Snowview

Snowview : a plantation of tea trees in the depths of forest reserves

The Snowview tea plantation, recently labeled Elephant Friendly™ by the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network© since 2020 thanks to measures put in place to protect the elephants that regularly cross it, is renowned for its biodiversity due to the three forest reserves that surround it. The tea trees grow in the midst of exceptional flora and fauna and there are magnificent views of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas from the tea gardens.

It’s not at all unusual to find high quality teas produced in this special place and the 2021 first flush black tea won us over once again.

Its mellow, golden brew delivers a lovely bouquet of particularly rich spring flavours, that reflect the environment in which it is grown. We never tire of the delicious dialogue between its fruity notes evoking hazelnut in particular and its subtle and complex spicy notes. A rare vintage for you to discover!

2021 Chinese Mingqian teas – (Hubei, Fujian and Yunnan)

Mingqian (明前) the rare first flushes reserved almost exclusively for the Chinese market, represent the quintessence of green teas. They are harvested in the spring from late March to early April before the Qingming Festival (April 4, 2021). We are delighted to be able to offer you these grand cru teas from minuscule harvests. Their sweetness and their particularly sugary and fruity flavours make them the most delicious first flushes you could wish for. With their incredible flavours, they symbolise the spring awakening of the tea trees after a long period of dormancy.

What’s special about the 2021 harvest?

Much like last year, the pandemic has not had an impact on producers, since the situation in China has generally been under control. The mingqian harvest proceeded in the usual way however production volumes were limited by particular weather conditions.

In Hubei province where many of our first flushes are produced, rainfall was heavier than usual and temperatures overall were lower this spring. In Yunnan, it was quite the opposite and spring has been particularly dry this year.

In both cases the tea trees grew more slowly and the young spring shoots were less numerous, but were able to develop their extraordinary characteristics over a longer period of time.

The sap, full of the nutrients absorbed from the resting soil during the winter period was therefore more concentrated in aromatic principles. This 2021 vintage, made up of the first buds of the year, embodies the absolute quintessence of Chinese spring teas with its rich and particularly sweet and fruity flavours…

Our 2021 favourite

• Jade Dew
• Long Jing
• Aiguille d’argent de Fuding
• Huang ya cha

Huang Ya Cha: all the magic of yellow teas

Yellow tea, the result of a delicate, multi-step production process that can be described as “smothered oxidation”, is particularly rare.

The young spring buds are first processed like green tea, but an additional step called Menhuang (悶黄) which involves wrapping the buds in a damp cloth causes the polyphenols to oxidise in the heat and humidity.

This unique step which requires great skill on the part of the tea master enables the Huang Ya Cha to obtain its characteristic yellow colour, but above all its caramelised, fruity and custard tart flavours which are irresistibly delicious …