Darjeeling Gopaldhara Everest Orchid 2022

Description

Darjeeling Gopaldhara Everest Orchid is an exceptional Second Flush Darjeeling from Gopaldhara Tea Estate. It is crafted from carefully selected AV2 and 312 tea plants that are grown at the highest sections of the garden between 1,700-2,100 metres.The highly oxidised leaves produce a refined muscatel character with an intriguing wine-like finish. This tea was crafted in June 2022.

Like all our of Gopaldhara teas, we source this tea directly from Rishi Saria, the owner and director of Gopaldhara and Rohini Tea Estates. Gopaldhara Tea Estate is nestled in the Mirik Valley, in the Himalayan foothills, and is one of the highest tea estates in Darjeeling with elevations of up to 2,100m. It is renowned for producing teas of exceptional quality and very often quite unusual character. The estate is also known for innovation, with new types of tea that utilise new and traditional production methods being developed every season.

Second Flush Darjeeling teas are generally not as sought after or as well regarded as their earlier spring First Flush counterparts. The flavours are quite different and many have a preference for the finer, more pronounced mineral and muscatel characters of the best First Flush teas. However Second Flush Darjeeling teas have many fans, who are drawn to them by the more complex and robust profiles. A good Second Flush Darjeeling certainly should exhibit a character that is more rounded, having a stronger overall flavour. But these stronger flavours should be well balanced – just like in this particularly fine example from Gopaldhara. This balanced profile is particularly attractive to those who find First Flush teas to be a little on the lighter and more mineral side!

This Darjeeling Gopaldhara Everest Orchid has mixed tippy leaf with a higher degree of oxidation to achieve that fine Second Flush muscatel flavour. The careful selection of specific garden sections for this tea as well as considered processing really brings out a complex flavour with a taste that is fruity, floral, lightly malty and mineral. The taste is definitely fuller in the middle, becoming a little lighter towards the finish. But the aftertaste has a very pleasant degree of tannins that are very similar to red wine, leaving a wine-like impression at the very end of the tasting. This is definitely a more refined Second Flush offering from Gopaldhara and make an interesting comparison to the everyday classic Second Flush from them.

This tea is best brewed at 90°C for 2 minutes and can be brewed 2+ times. Like all top grade teas from Gopaldhara and Rohini, you can try experimenting with gongfu brewing.

Darjeeling Gopaldhara Everest Orchid Second Flush black tea was first featured in our July 2023 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.