Gopaldhara 2nd flush Darjeeling 2025 Yabukita

General

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

Due to the altitude and cool climate, tea cultivation is seasonal and tea is not picked during the cold season from November to January. This is because when tea picking begins in spring, the leaves have accumulated a large amount of flavorings. 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 picked during this time is called first flush tea. It has the most delicate aroma, as the smallest leaves are picked from the bushes, which are at their peak of aroma after winter. First-pick teas in particular 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-pick teas in particular as very green. The second harvest (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 harvest is followed by the rainy monsoon season. Tea is picked also during this time, but its quality is usually poorer. After the rains, autumn flush tea is harvested.

This tea

This second flush Darjeeling black tea from the Gopaldhara tea estate was picked in early summer 2025. The tea gardens are at an altitude of 1600-2100m. The Gopaldhara tea estate located in the Mirik valleys is one of the highest in the Darjeeling region. The tea is picked from bushes of Japanese Yabukita variety that is somewhat untypical in the area. The tea producer adds the additional name "Mystic" to teas from Yabukita bushes to reflect the unusual nature of these teas. The taste of this tea has fascinating shades of Japanese green tea.

Taste

The aroma of the dry tea is velvety creamy and slightly woody. The aroma in the cup is deliciously biscuity, cinnamony and red fruity. The tea has a dense mouthfeel and taste with tones of sweet grains, velvety umami and red fruits.

Infusion

About a tablespoon of tea leaves is needed. 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 infused in a small teapot of less than 500ml, you can brew the same leaves a few times. In this case, the infusing 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.