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Tea from India at Siam Tea Shop

The sustainable trend to more quality with tea on the western market increasingly bears sweet fruit in India, too. Year after year, the major tea estates in Darjeeling and Assam compete for the market’s recognition for each year’s best “First Flush“, “Second Flush” or “Autumnal“. However, not only quality comes from India at new levels today, but also completely new diversity of India’s tea portfolio. Black tea, for example, the classic of Indian teas, suddenly comes around in the most diverse appearances. The spectrum reaches from the modern, flowery, spring-hearted first flush to full-bodied, dark roasted second flushes to earthy and malty “autumnals”. One example for a black tea perfectly representing India’s newly defined quality approach is our Doke Black Fusion black tea.

Doke Black Fusion Black Tea

Once you try this tea for the first time, you’ll instantly notice that Doke Black Fusion is some special in about every respect. A “Fusion” in the truest sense of the word. A fusion of the wisdom of China, the experience of Darjeeling, and the power of the Assam tea tree. Together, these factors combine to an all new black tea with an identity of  its very own. Full-bodied taste, with well-balanced roast notes and a fine malty complex sweetness. Mild, but still highly present with shorter infusion periods, strong and lastingly invigorating from 2 minutes and beyond. A very good friend and companion whereever you’ll need one!

Picking and Processing

The picking of Doke Black Fusion takes place during 3 picking periods –  spring, summer and autumn each year. The picking standard applied to the resulting first flushes, second flushes and autumnals is 1 + 1. This means that one unopened bud each along with its youngest leaf attached qualify for picking. A special feature of Doke Black Fusion is the subsequent sieving of the tea leaves into two leaf sizes. The resulting Doke Black Fusion and Doke Black Fusion Tippy differ both in leaf size and in taste. This is mainly due to the higher share of golden tips in the “Tippy” version. However, opinions differ as to which of the two versions tastes better. While the powerful Doke Black Fusion delights with a spicy-sweet, distinctly malty character, the rather sparkling “Tippy” version woos the connoisseur’s favor with a roundelay of floral notes.

For some tea lovers, the traditional “black” processing of this tea may also weigh positively on the scales. At a time when rather “green” processed first flushes and partially oxidized second flushes have established themselves as a trend, classically processed black teas from India have almost become a rarity.

Why Doke?

A Bond of Trust

For us, Doke was the logical first choice approach for our first footstep on Indian tea terrain for several reasons. For once, it’s the bond of trust that has formed during years of cooperation and interaction with Doke founder Rajiv Lochan. While trust is certainly one of the – if not the – most invaluable asset to a tea trade relationship, there’s more to Doke.  Being looked after by Rajiv’s son and daughter, Vivek and Neha Lochan, the project couldn’t be a better match of our idea of a genuine family operation. Plus, we share with the Lochans a passion for the health and environment-friendly farming of quality tea in biodiverse settings.

The tea garden is flown through by a perennial stream (“Doke River”), ensuring sufficient water for the tea plants throughout the year. At the same time, the tea garden’s abundant shade-giving trees soothe the heat and protect the plants from too high exposure to sunlight.

The Doke Philosophy

One of the last travelers on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road in his younger days, Rajiv Lochan today is one of the world of tea’s most merited cavaliers. The past 5 decades of tea history, he has basically co-penned. After his successful rise to become one of the most colorful characters in the Indian tea industry, with Doke Rajiv finally incarnated his personal vision of a perfect tea garden. The ideal fostered at Doke is that of a shared appreciation for both the tea one produces and the environment, where it is produced. Other cornerstones of the Doke philosophy are ethical integrity, social responsibility and the transparence of all processes involved in the operation of a tea plantation.

Focus on Quality

Not only the environment benefits from the generously dispersed tree cover of Doke tea plantation, but also the tea itself. And therewith us, who will drink it. The natural shading drives additional sweetness into the tea leaves. In addition, biodiverse vegetation means multiple input for the soil. And yet another feature of quality-driven tea production: Doke teas are processed with all the attention and care owed to the whole tea leaf. This is something you can see, and it is something you can taste.

Preparation:

First, pour 3g Doke Black Fusion black tea per 100ml with water of a temperature of 90+°C (boiling hot). Then let infuse for 1-2 minutes of a mild, but rich infusion. Beyond 2 minutes, the tea gains serious strength and with its wealth of sweet and malty roast notes tastewise once again pulls out all new stops. The potential of Doke Black Fusion tea leaves is accordingly… A single load of Doke Black Fusion makes you and your teapot happy not just once, but will easily live up to producing a second or even third infusion.

You will find more teas from Doke tea garden here:

Tea from Doke Tea Garden, Bihar, India

And here’s to more teas from India (Assam and Darjeeling) at Siam Tea Shop:

Tea from India at Siam Tea Shop