Description
Darjeeling Rohini Spring Delight is a top grade First Flush tea from Rohini Tea Estate. Hand selected from finely picked whole leaves and buds and lightly oxidised, this tea delivers a typical First Flush profile that is mineral and floral. This batch is from the March 2020 harvest.
Rohini Tea Estate is located along the route that connects the towns of Siliguri and Kurseong. Surrounded by a beautiful natural environment, this estate produces tea from relatively young trees. The estate has had a chequered past, not actually producing any tea for a long period of time. Recently it has been replanted with young tea trees, so sometimes it is referred to as the youngest tea estate in Darjeeling. It is now going from strength to strength and is producing more and more interesting and higher quality teas. Spring Delight is an example of a high grade First Flush Darjeeling that undergoes light oxidation to preserve and highlight the fresh spring flavours.
Like in all of Darjeeling, the First Flush is a particularly prized picking. The tea trees undergo hibernation for about 4 months during the period of December to March. As spring approaches, the trees start to slowly produce very fine new growth. These new spring leaves that are carefully picked by hand usually consist of one bud plus one or two leaves. These are hand sorted and processed using minimal machinery to retain the fine quality.
Darjeeling Rohini Spring Delight has neat tippy leaves that have a typical First Flush Darjeeling mineral aroma. The brewed semi-oxidised leaves look particularly neat and well-sorted, with lovely mixed colours. The brewed liquor has a wonderful First Flush character with mineral and floral flavours. There are some interesting notes of dried fruits and a nice stony finish to the taste. Overall the flavours are rather clean and smooth, with a lightly drying aftertaste finely balancing the profile. This is a top First Flush Darjeeling that can be enjoyed by itself or paired with pastries for a delightful afternoon treat.
It is best brewed at 90°C for 3-4 minutes and can be brewed 2+ times.
This Darjeeling Rohini Spring Delight was first featured in our November 2019 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.