Early Spring Teas from Nepal
We are really excited to be introducing two exclusive “early Spring” teas from Jun Chiyabari, our Organic tea producer-partner in Nepal. These teas were manufactured in March. Normally, the first flush production for Jun Chiyabari, which is situated between 5000 ft – 6000 ft, takes place only in April.
In March there is very little budding in the bushes, not enough to make viable amount of tea to market. However, this year Jun Chiyabari decided they would go ahead and make micro batches of early Spring teas. The results are fantastic!
We have just gone through eight different samples from this category. They have that fresh crispness of a first flush, but with an extra amount of sparkle. The aroma is stronger both in the dry leaf and the cup. The flavors notes “dance” on your palate. Notes of lily, orchids, citrus, peach, grass are abundant. There is both sweetness and bite in the cup. The finish is refreshing with an aftertaste of lingering delicacy.
It was a difficult job to decide which teas to keep, given that all the samples we tasted were exceptional. If we could afford to, we would have kept them all! But we finally decided on two – Himalayan White (J6-2016) and Himalayan Tips (J14-2016).
Talking about prices of these teas, they are the highest that we have ever paid for any of our teas from Darjeeling-Nepal region. But we decided that since these teas are of such exceptional quality, and given the very small quantities in which they were made, it did merit the high prices that the garden was asking for. They are after all as good as the pre-Qing Ming teas of China, which are teas manufactured before the first week of April, and highly revered for their delicate character.
Just smelling the dry leaf of the Himalayan White can bring you this close to Nirvana! It is white tea, made using the finest tips (or buds) with just a slight level of oxidation. It has an exquisitely charming perfume; hard to believe that it is coming from just those tea leaves (but they are)! The cup is again “sparkles” with sweet floral and fruity notes (lilies, peaches, custard apples, etc). It has a lovely bite with a lingering finish.
The Himalayan Tips made up of more maturer tips with a slightly higher level of oxidation. The dry leaves of this tea also have an amazing smell. The cup has more body with a more juicer notes, and a pronounced sweetness of a ripe peach. This tea will make your mouth salivate for more!
Both these teas should be arriving on our shelves anytime now. Sign up for our newsletter, if you haven't already, to be notified as soon as they are available.