Darjeeling, First Flush Report 2004

Darjeeling's all-important spring rains arrived about a week early this year following the pattern of last year. The overall rainfall was good over the first weeks with plenty of sun for essential photosynthesis. The extreme South of the region however sufferred a distinct lack of precipitation, a stress that can be tough on yield but positive for the quality of the teas. As for hailstorms this year was the turn of Marybong and the worst hit Mim in the NorthWest flank of the Darjeeling growing region where last year it was the gardens of the Rungbong Valley that suffered. Hail not only damages the delicate shoots before they can be picked it can also disable a tea plant's productive growing for up to 30 days which in a 60 to 80 day season can be disastrous. Several gardens in the North West reported varying amounts of loss to hail damage early in the season with a couple of them losing another week or so of production at the end just before the bhanji set in. Though some gardens struggled with the usual internal union issues there were no global industrial or political actions this spring.

The big news this year was the amount of gardens being sold off. GoodrickeÕ s of Castleton and MargeretÕs Hope fame sold off four of their gardens and DPIL whose roots lay in the original Darjeeling Tea Co. sold all their Darjeeling holdings. DPIL had been major players from very early on in the regionÕs tea history and were pioneers of cloning Darjeeling-specific plants. These big changes reflect an industry where an average quality product is no longer enough to keep a garden alive. The gardens that are surviving are generally those concentrating on higher and higher quality teas for the export market.

With this pressure the general standard of production and sensitivity to quality is continually on the rise in Darjeeling. With the guidance of both the brokers that connect the growers to the market and the Tea Research Association imparting technical guidance, the overall focus is increasingly on quality above yield. We are seeing and tasting the rewards of rejeuvenation and improved manufacture of old classic china plants as well as the exciting new clonal plants that are expanding Darjeeling's diversity with explosive new flavours and aromas.

This year, due to popular demand, I will be presenting a few more Second Flush teas. For now though I have selected a First Flush catalogue that highlights the rich diversity of flavour and aroma characteristics coming out of the Darjeeling District at the moment. A growing number of the gardens are also experimenting with white, green and oolong manufacturing techniques with ever-increasing success. As in recent years I have paid special attention to several gardens that have a more artisanal approach to manufacture.

I was particularly impressed this year by some of the oolongs or semi-oxidized teas. Though black tea remains the district's speciality, for those of us exploring the characteristics of garden flavours and the flavour transformation in manufactured leaf, the oolongs offer a rich source of information while making a delicious cuppa.

For the fans of the ethereal white teas I will wait a few weeks for Second Flush as many of the gardens are getting better results during that period. Again this year Kyela Teas will offer a couple of selection packs for those Darjeeling lovers that are getting into comparative tasting at home.

Kevin Gascoyne, Taster, May 2004.

Poster from a recent Kyela Teas Event