Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2022 SFTGFOP1 SPL
€8,20 – €25,40
Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2022 FTGFOP1 SPL is the highest leaf and quality grade of the first spring picking of „Margaret’s Hope“ tea estate in Darjeeling, India. The altitude of nearly 2000 meters, the Darjeeling sun, best (hand) picking standard (2+1) and the careful processing as whole leaf make this estate’s spring picking one of the finest Darjeeling highland teas. The flowery-sweet sprightliness that is characteristic for early season DJ highland teas unfolds on the basis of a broad, full-bodied, mineral-earthy taste.
For more information and illustration please refer to the detailed product description below.
Description
Margaret’s Hope First Flush – click picture to enlarge
Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2022 – The Darjeeling First Flush Season
Actually, we might know the term “First Flush” from India only. However, this doesn’t mean there weren’t any “first flushes” – first spring pickings – anywhere else. Much rather, the first pickings after the winter break enjoy specialty status, wherever tea is grown. The main reason for this is the particular, taste-relevant pattern of active substances in the tea leaf after the “winter break”. For once, picking stops for several months during the cold season 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 soothes the plants and promotes the accumulation of active substances. This applies especially in combination with high humidity and/or fog. 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!
(click picture to enlarge)
Commonly, Darjeeling teas fall into the category of “black tea”. However, the typical “modern” DJ FF doesn’t seem to comply with our idea of a black tea either at first nor at second sight. While the leaf material shows the whole spectrum of colors from green via brown to black, Darjeeling first flushes also form a category of its own regarding taste. And one that has quickly found many friends worldwide.
Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2022 – The Estate / Tea Garden
Margaret’s Hope Tea Estate locates in the northern part of Darjeeling’s Kurseong Valley. There, it stretches across altitudes between 950 and 1830 meters, covering a total areal of 361 hectars. The tea garden’s official establishment, originally under the name “Bara Rington”, dates back to 1867. However, according to some sources, first tea plantings at the southwest bank of the Balsun River reach back to the 1830s even. Anyway, the originally planted China tea bushes are still prevailing at Margaret’s Hope today.
At the the beginning of the 20th century, the tea garden’s operator was a London-based Briton. Mr. Bagdon regularly traveled to Darjeeling, in order to visit his tea garden. Once, in 1927, it happened that his wife and two daugthers accompanied him on such trip. Particularly Margaret, the youngest daughter, immediatly fell in love with the estate and surrounding landscape. When the homeward journey approached, Margaret became very sad. Supposedly, her greatest hope and wish was to be able to once return to this place.
However, fate had other plans. During the the long passage, Margaret fell ill with a severe tropical fever, which she finally succumbed to before the ship even reached England. Henceforth, her father was bowed down with grief over the loss of his youngest daughter. Thus, he started spending even more time on his Darjeeling tea estate, where years later his daughter’s ghost allegedly appeared to him. This vision finally moved him to change the name of the tea garden. In order to erect a memorial stone for his daughter’s greatest wish, “Bara Rington” became “Margaret’s Hope”.
click picture to enlarge
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 mayor tea estates in Darjeeling and Assam compete 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 first flush to full-bodied, dark roast second flushes to earthy and malty “autumnals”. One example for a first flush perfectly combining modern first flush processing with the classic features of a Darjeeling tea is our representing India’s newly defined quality approach is our Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2022 SFTGFOP1 SPL.
Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2022 SFTGFOP1 SPL
Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2022 SFTGFOP1 SPL is the highest leaf and quality grade of the first spring picking at Margaret’s Hope tea estate, Darjeeling, India. At this, “highest leaf grade” means “whole leaf” of best picking standard. For a Darjeeling tea, the best picking standard is always a “2+1” handpicking standard. This means, only the young spring bud along with the 2 adjacent youngest leaves at the end of each branch qualify for picking. “Highest quality grade”, on the other hand, combines properties such as the selection of the picked cultivar, specific patches in the tea garden, and high processing excellence.
Margaret’s Hope estate’s first picking asserts a range of the tea garden’s individual characteristics particularly well. Accordingly, the tea’s floral sprightliness reflects the estate’s prominent altitude. Likewise, the mineral-rich soils are mirrored in the tea’s complex earthy notes. To this, the Darjeeling sun adds the e sweetness no beverage that popular could possibly do without…
Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2019 –Preparation
As a standard, pour 200ml water of a temperature of 90°C – 100°C over 4g Margaret’s Hope First Flush 2022 SFTGFOP1 SPL. Then let infuse for 3-5 minutes for a most delicious first infusion. After another 3-5 minutes infusion of the leaf material, a full-value second infusion emerges that falls back only little behind the first one.
For more “First Flushes” from Darjeeling and Bihar at Siam Tea Shop, check here:
Indian First Flush teas @ Siam Tea Shop
Additional information
Weight | N/A |
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Weight | 25g, 50g, 100g |
mickeyaro (verified owner) –
My favourite Darjeeling tea over the years!
Tea sold as “Margaret’s Hope First Flush” can sometimes be of indifferent quality: but this is the real thing!
Superb quality! Delicate, slightly sweet, muscatel flavour with just a hint of astringency, with no harsh bitterness even after 5 minutes infusion.
boisedave (verified owner) –
Delicate and flowery with a lingering subtle herbal finish. This tea will help you unwind and relax.
Jon –
I have always enjoyed Margaret’s Hope whenever I could get it. I just finished my first shipment from Siam-Teas and it was a good as I remember it, lots of flavor and delicate. It is one of my favorite first flush teas. I am going to order more.
YUIUK (verified owner) –
As good as it gets. I would say it’s the emperor of all Darjeeling teas! It’s as clear as water yet flavoursome.
Stephen GOVIER (verified owner) –
Let’s see if this Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, Grade 1 Special can delight.
My last tea tasting was a rare and wonderful Lao Cong Mo Li Xiang I used for benchmarking and, as in the past I have not really liked tea from this garden, I tasted thrice for the evaluation.
Dry leaves are small, a fresh mix of greens, browns, and silver tips. Strongly vegetal, wild meadow hay aroma touched by a spring breeze. Wash displays a layered pale gold liquor with a note of biscuit.
First steep brings a graceful floral fragrance to the fore or, as I did on the second and third occasions and with incredibly careful timing, a most gorgeous suggestion of garden flowers, especially Peony with a touch of Petrichor. Vibrant with a soft sweet hazy floweriness.
This vibrancy is most obvious in the Hui Gan. Mouthfeel grows to an aftertaste of wateringly, powdery, vigorous, minerality. On the middle of the tongue is a sensation which when detected seems to melt away to nectar sweetness.
A very bold tea and get the timing right, steeps will proffer a complex of scents elevated by mellow Peony. Taste and mouthfeel somewhere between silky and oily but crisp and coating. In my first encounter I got the timings wrong so tongue tingle and numbing were part of the Hui Gan with the heavy tartness coating my tongue and, a build-up of this can then linger to suggest bitterness. That could explain why Margaret’s Hope hadn’t connected for me years ago and put me off Darjeeling.
The power of this tea, and it’s Qi, needs respect or it will bite bitterly; Yet, with care it will unfold layer after layer of accumulation from the terroir. An abundant store of mingling herbaceous elements and polyphenols. The more I drink this the more I like it.