A winding road ribboning through the rain and mist of monsoons delivered us to Okayti tea estate, one of our newest partners from Darjeeling hills. Located in the picturesque Mirik Valley area, the tea estate is spread over 1600 acres...
You often hear us talk about the different seasons of Darjeeling tea in terms of First Flush, Second Flush and Autumn Flush. For the uninitiated, these flushes denote the time when tea is plucked and produced: First Flush in spring...
Darjeeling first flush 2016 production is currently on in full swing. After a slow start due to less than normal rain for most of March, gardens are reporting a much better harvest since the rains came down at the end of the month.
Enjoy this slideshow of our visit to the famous Margaret's Hope Tea Estate in Darjeeling in November 2015. Although, we do not offer tea from this garden, since it is not Organic, it was nice to look around and meet up with our old friend, Arun Gurung, who is the assistant manager there.
Even as we await the arrival of Darjeeling First Flush 2015, with folded hands, praying for the weather gods to show kindness upon the harvest of spring, we want to pay tribute and say farewell to our First Flush tea from last year. Today, we drank our last cup of Phoobsering 2014 with a little sadness and much anticipation of what this year's season will bring.
We are shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden passing away of Steve Smith, the founder of Stash, Tazo and finally Smith Teamaker. Smith shared a special relationship with Darjeeling, and his death is going to be mourned by many there.
Darjeeling first flush 2015 production is off to a slow start. The weather once again is proving to be a challenge; thankfully, it does not seem as bad as last year. Rainfall has been lower than average for the months of January and February, and the temperatures are hovering below normal for the period.
