Description
Okayti First Flush 2024 FTGFOP1
Okayti Darjeeling First Flush FTGFOP1 – dry tea leaves
click pictures(s) to enlarge
Okayti First Flush 2024 FTGFOP1 is an aromatic First Flush tea from the eponymous Darjeeling tea garden’s early spring picking. Its taste profile represents a harmonious composition of delicately sweet floral notes with the typical muscatel touch of authentic Darjeeling highland teas. The leaf, ranging in color from green to reddish-brown pastel hues, yields a clear, amber-colored cup in the infusion.
The modern way of processing early First Flush teas emphasizes highlighting their specific spring character. As a result, the tea caresses the gourmet’s senses with an enchanting, spicy-fresh aroma. The intense, refreshing and invigorating flavor lingers on the palate long after consumption, accompanying the tea lover well beyond the actual tea drinking into the day.
Preparation
Begin by pouring 2-3g/100ml of Okayti First Flush 2024 FTGFOP1 with boiling water (90°C-100°C) in a teapot . Allow to steep for 1-2 minutes for a fresh and lively first infusion. Then pour into a serving pitcher or directly into the teacup. After this, at least two more infusions are possible, which are virtually not falling behind the first, doing much more than just preserving the tea’s delicious aftertaste!!
Alternatively, the early First Flush from Ringtong Tea Garden also delivers taste results with genuine addictive potential with a more “Western” style preparation. To do this, pour about 3g/100ml of tea leaves with boiling hot water (90°C-100°C) and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Even with this preparation method, a second infusion is still worth it!
Okayti – The Tea Garden
The Story
The establishment and initial plantation of the Okayti Tea Estate date back to the early 1870s. Located in the undulating hills of the picturesque Mirik Valley, 45 kilometers from Darjeeling city, this tea garden stretches across altitudes from 1770 to 2360 meters, making it one of the highest tea gardens in the region. About 208 hectares of the total 647-hectare cultivation area are covered with tea bushes. It is said that the plantation, originally operating under the name “Rangdoo”, became so popular soon after its inception that the tea produced from it was referred to as “the only okay tea” among locals. Consequently, the garden was eventually renamed “Okayti.”
“Okayti” – one of Darjeeling’s highest altitude tea gardens
The Estate
Okayti borders the Mechi River, which separates India from Nepal, to the west. Amidst breathtaking greenery and an impressive variety of flora and fauna, the estate is surrounded by tall pine trees, offering a remarkable view of the Himalayas. The natural beauty of the landscape, with waterfalls, tall pines, and the magnificent backdrop of the Himalayas, makes Okayti one of the most beautiful tea gardens in Darjeeling. Within the garden lies the village of Bisacre (Nepali: “twenty acres of land”), where many of the tea garden’s workers live. The house of the first (British) operator, built in the Victorian style, still adorns the property.
Traditional Hand Picking @ Okayti Tea Garden, Darjeeling
The gentle slopes, subtropical climate, and mineral-rich soil provide optimal conditions for tea cultivation. The unique terroir yields an equally exceptional and characteristic Darjeeling tea – remarkable in quality, taste, and aroma, characteristic of a Darjeeling tea that truly lives up to the title of “Champagne among teas.”
The Okayti factory building was constructed in 1888, making it one of the oldest tea factories in Darjeeling. It produces 150,000 kilograms of tea annually. While the building itself retains its original style, the processing facilities have recently been replaced with state-of-the-art equipment. Other modern achievements of the tea garden include ecologically certified cultivation and socially responsible production.
The Indian First Flush Season
We might know the term “First Flush” from India only. However, there are “first flushes” – first spring pickings – elsewhere, too. Much rather, the first pickings after the winter break enjoy specialty status in all tea growing regions of the world. 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!
“Early” and “late” First Flushes
What we call “First Flush Season” is by no means a consistent picking period, when it comes to quality and taste of the individual batches. “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 in 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 above for lowland estates, just shifted in time by a few weeks.
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 and representative of India’s newly defined quality approach is our Okayti First Flush 2024 FTGFOP1.
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