Wonder Gold 1st Flush Darjeeling 2021 | Single Batch Tea Lalani & Co London

Wonder Gold 1st Flush Darjeeling 2021 | Single Batch Tea

Gopaldhara is one of the highest gardens in Darjeeling, sitting at 3500 to 6000 ft in the Himalayan foothills. This exceptional producer is one of the few Darjeeling gardens to remain independent and family run, owned by Rishi Saria and his family. Lalani & Co have been working with Rishi and his team for about 10 harvests.

The first flush is the first tea season in Darjeeling, when the plants wake from their winter sleep and stretch out the first shoots of the tea vintage. The first flush season begins roughly at the end of March and lasts until the end of April. This batch comes from AV2, 312, 157 varietal plants grown on the highest sections of the garden, at 6,000-7,000ft, and picked on the 27th March 2021. High elevations give more flavour complexity to the tea.

This tea has mango, passionfruit, and papaya notes on the nose which are characteristic of a very fine 1st flush Darjeeling. The opening is juicy and sweet, a mouthful of tropical fruits and flowers. This leads to a long finish, overlayed with very, very soft tannins, almost like flower petals.