Description

Tea estate “Jungpana”  in Darjeeling, northeast India – click picture to enlarge

Jungpana First Flush 2023 Spring Delight EX01

The ultimate reach for the stars: the very first invoice 2023 of Jungpana Tea Garden in Darjeeling! That is, the tea of the very first picking of the year, a dream of every Darjeeling tea lover: extremely rare, equally precious, and: beyond any recall! A firework of intense floral, spring-fresh flavors from one of Darjeeling’s finest tea gardens.

The state-of-the-art processed, almost still “green” Jungpana First Flush first withers overnight inside the tea factory. During this time, the tea leaves are gently turned several times by hand, leaving the leaf surfaces intact. The withering on the one hand takes some astringency off the tea. On the other hand, the tea leaves gain suppleness during this process. The next morning, they go straight from the withering tray to the rolling machine, where the tea leaves get their final shape. Then, they are left to cool down for about 10 minutes, before moving to the dryer for final drying.

Jungpana First Flush – Spring Delight 2023 EX01

The modern type of first flush processing focuses on emphasizing these teas’ specific spring character. Accordingly, the taste of the Jungpana First Flush 2023 pleases with dominant flowery and fruity notes. In addition, the golden yellow cup of our personal favorite among this year’s spring pickings convinces with a pronounced full body and perfect balancing of individual flavor components.

Preparation

First, poor 200-250 ml boiling hot water (90°C-100°C) over 4g Jungpana First Flush 2023 Spring Delight EX1 in a teapot. Let infuse for 1-2 minutes for a mild, harmonious tea. A second infusion is always an option, living up to much more than just keeping this tea’s delicious aftertaste alive!

First Flush Spring Delight Wonder EX1 by Jungpana Darjeeling Tea Garden – wet tea leaves afer infusion

Jungpana Tea Estate

Jungpana is a classic Indian tea estate, located about 10-12 km south of Kurseong town in the pictoresque highland of Darjeeling. The tea garden’s extremely rugged terrain covers altitudes between 1000 and 2000 meters above sea level. Jungpana is known as Darjeeling’s hardest to access tea estate. Even today, the only access way to the estate is quite an adventurous suspension bridge, made of wood and ropes. Beyond that, there’s more then 600 stairs to conquer. The estate has a reputation for its teas’ constant high quality across years and seasons. Thus, Jungpana’s first spring picking is one of Darjeeling’s most anticipated first flushes every year. In fact, for Darjeeling tea lovers, it is one of the most anticipated events in the world of tea at all.

The Jungpana Legend

According to legend, a British hunter once roamed this part of the Himalayan foothills with his gurkha, Jung Bahadur. When the two suddenly faced a leopard attack. the faithful gurkha stood up for his master. When the latter finally had disposed of the beast, Jung Bahadur had already suffered some severe injuries. Felling thirsty, he asked his master for water, “pana”. His master then carried him to a nearby stream and let him drink. Little later, Jung Bahadur succumbed to his injuries and died in his master’s arms. Since then, the area goes by the name of “Jungpana”, the place, where Jung Bahadur had his last sip of water. So far the legend…

 

The Jungpana History

History documents that Jungpana tea garden first came into being through the plantings of British Sir Henry Montgomery Lennox. Since that time, the estate has changed ownership several times until 1956, when the Kejriwal family took over. Still in charge of the tea garden today, it was the who made Jungpana accessible for motor vehicles for the first time. To do this, they constructed a 4 km long road through neighboring Goomtee Tea Estate, ending at the said suspension bridge. However, large parts of that road – and the bridge itself – had to be completely rebuilt after exposure to a massive landslide in 1993.

Health and Environment-Friendly Cultivation and Modern Processing Facilities

It was also the Kejriwals, who introduced health and environment-friendly farming techniques soon after taking over the tea garden. In addition, Jungpana’s processing facilities underwent comprehensive modernization during the past decades. What’s more, the estate’s tea portfolio has developed with the trends of time. Today, Jungpana enjoys worldwide fame for its sprightly, spring-fresh first flushes, full-bodied second flushes and malty-mild “autumnals” (autumn pickings).

However, outside the processing facilities, Jungpana displays a rather traditional fashion. So, picking is done manually, as always has been, which in this tea garden’s difficult terrain is not exactly an easy task.  Also, the transport of freshly picked tea leaves and ready processed tea represents quite a challenge here.

Tea from India @ 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 mayor tea estates in Darjeeling and Assam compete for the market’s recognition for each season’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 modern, nearly “green” first flush, as it is typical for most estates today, is our Jungpana First Flush 2021 Spring Delight EX1.

The Indian First Flush Season

Even though we might know the term “First Flush” only from India, this doesn’t mean there weren’t any “first flushes” – first spring pickings – anywhere else. Much rather, the first pickings after the winter break enjoys specialty status, wherever tea is grown. Themain reason for this is the particular, taste-relevant pattern of active substances in the tea leaf after the “winter break”. In fact, picking is put on hold during the cold season for several months in all major tea cultivation countries. But it is not only the picking break that brings the tea plants relief. What adds, is that the cool climate – especially in combination with hig humidity and/or fog – soothes the plants and promotes the accumulation of active substances. In spring then, with rising temperatures and days getting longer, the plant drives these active substances into the young leaves and buds. And this is something… you can taste!

“Early” and “late” First Flushes

What we call “First Flush Season” is not a consistent picking period in terms of individual batches’ quality and taste. “Ex. 1” , i. e. the very first picking run in the year at all, yields no more than a few kg’s only. Then, this tiny yield comes with such labor expense and the resulting tea is met by such high demand that the price for it hits utopian dimensions. This applies in particular to tea gardens at lower altitudes that because of their location will start their spring picking very early, i. e.  already in February. Accordingly, their teas make the spearhead of the Indian first flush season. As such, every year they are the first on the market. There, they meet the anticipation that has built-up among Darjeeling first flush lovers since last year’s season.

On the flipside of the price-quality spiral, later March pickings of such estates are what will – starting from April – be widely available at Western tea shops at significantly lower prices. By then, however, they’ll have the very best of the spring season already behind them.  And this is, when some other Darjeeling tea estates – based on their highland location – will only start their first and most premium pickings. To them applies the same cycle as described for lowland estates above, just shifted in time by a few weeks.

Jungpana First Flush Spring Delight EX1 – dry tea leaves

For more First Flushes from Bihar and Darjeeling, please check here:

• Indian First Flushes at Siam  Tea Shop