Moondrop – Gopaldhara First Pick – First Flush 2023 – Royal Series

This is the first production of the spring season from Gopaldhara Tea Estate. The tea has a dark green finely plucked whole leaves with buds. It brews into a yellowish cup that gives spring a fresh and mouthful flavor. It is mellow and sweet and has a fruity flavor of Indian Gooseberry without any astringency. It leaves behind a pleasant and lingering aftertaste. This is Completely a new style of Darjeeling’s first flush oolong tea.

The top elevation of Gopaldhara Tea Estates which stretches from 5500 to 7000 FT is planted with the best quality clone. Also, the bushes are fresh as they have just come out of hibernation from the prolonged winter of almost 4 months from December to March. During the first production of the spring season, we have 100% growing shoots and get excellent buds with either a single leaf or two leaves and a bud. The flavor is prominent as the weather is also very dry and cool which ensures very slow growth.

The garden workers are very careful in their plucking by hand to make sure only the best shoots with prominent buds are plucked. Darjeeling First Flush Teas are known to be slightly oxidized. This tea is also made in the same way but it is sufficiently oxidized to ensure that all the exquisite flavors are prominently present.

The plucking is of such fine quality that the tea only needs to be hand sorted and the machines used to make the tea are very less. It is a true delight and one of our best Darjeeling First Flush Teas.