Gopaldhara 1st flush Wulong 2025 Yabukita

General

Darjeeling is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal, on the lower slopes of the mighty Himalayas. The region is particularly famous for its black teas, which are called the champagne of black tea. The altitude of the tea gardens in the region varies from a few hundred meters to over two kilometers.

Due to the altitude and the cool climate, tea cultivation is seasonal and tea is not harvested during the cold season of the year from November to January. This means that when tea harvest begins in spring, a large amount of flavoring substances have accumulated in the leaves and the spring harvest is of very high quality. Tea is picked from February to November. The most important time is the first two months of spring. Tea harvested during this time is called first flush tea. First flush tea has the most delicate aroma, as the smallest leaves are picked, and they are at the peak of aroma after winter. In particular, first-pick teas are dried heavily, which is why the leaf does not oxidize completely during the oxidation stage and often remains very green. This very green style is favored in many Darjeeling tea market areas and for this reason most tea gardens produce first flush teas in particular as very green. The second flush is carried out during May and June. The tea is often processed a little darker and so they resemble more of a normal black tea. The tea is riper and heavier in aroma and taste than first flush. The second flush is followed by the rainy monsoon season. Tea is picked during this time also, but its quality is usually poorer. After the rains, autumn flush teas are picked.

This tea

This first harvested Darjeeling black tea from the Gopaldhara tea estate was picked in April 2025. The tea gardens are located at an altitude of 1600-2100m. The Gopaldhara tea estate in the Mirik Valley is one of the highest in the Darjeeling region. The tea is unusually picked from Japanese Yabukita bushes planted on the estate. Darjeeling teas are mainly black teas, but the producer of this tea classifies it as a wulong due to the slightly larger leaf size. The tea has a lot in common with the first harvest black tea from the same estate, but the leaf size slightly affects the structure and tones of the tea's flavor.

Taste

The aroma of the dry tea is overripe fruity and biscuity. In the cup, the aroma reveals shades of persimmon, orange and apricot. The slowly arriving flavor is woody, grainy, sourly fruity and also slightly wild floral. The aftertaste is honeyed and floral-fruity.

Infusion

You need about a tablespoon of tea leaves. You can use boiled water or let it cool slightly before pouring it over the leaves. A lower temperature will produce a slightly different result. If the tea is brewed in a small teapot of less than 500ml, you can brew the same leaves a few times. In this case, the brewing time is about 1-3 minutes. In a larger pot, the brewing time should be longer: 3-5 minutes. In this case, you only get one good brew from the leaves.