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Darjeeling Mim (2nd flush)
Estate Tea - Darjeeling India
District: Darjeeling
Grade: TGFOP1 (Imperial)
Excellent Darjeeling without going overboard on the price.
Mim is in the Darjeeling area
of Northern India. From the town
center on a clear day the peak of Mount
Everest can be seen. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and
in relatively cool weather the bushes do not grow quickly, and as such the
production is limited. The best time of the year for quality is during
‘second-flush’ (end May - end June). During this time Darjeelings are
incomparable to any other tea in the world. The fragrance and taste is a complex
bouquet that reaches right out of the cup. Some would describe the taste as
nutty; others find it reminds them of black currants, but most often it is
described as similar to the taste and fragrance of muscat grapes.
Due to the superb taste and
limited production of Darjeelings, these teas are quite expensive. There are
many who wish to take advantage of the high prices and as a result there are
Darjeeling ‘blends’. Regrettably these blends are quite often very poor
facsimiles of Darjeeling
and in some cases only contain 10% true Darjeeling teas; the balance made up
from other production areas. A true estate Darjeeling is your guarantee of
quality and genuine Darjeeling tea.
The are 3
main times of year for producing good quality Darjeelings:
1st flush - Springtime
harvested teas from late Feb. to mid April. The young leaves yield a light tea
with generally intense muscatel with ‘point’. A gentle afternoon tea.
2nd flush - Harvested in June,
these teas are more fully developed. The liquor is bright and the taste full and
round excellent muscatel. A superb afternoon tea that is especially good with
scones and raspberry conserve.
Autumnal - Not always
available depending upon the weather, they are typified by a round taste and
coppery liquor. Excellent as a breakfast tea with milk.
Hot tea brewing method:
This tea is best enjoyed using 2-3 heaping teaspoons for a 6 cup teapot. Allow
the tea to steep for 3-5 minutes, remove the leaves and pour. We do not
recommend adding milk or sugar since this can mask some of the intrigue and
subtle nuances of this vintage tea.
Iced tea brewing method:
(to make 1 liter/quart): Place 5 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat
resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep
for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into
your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with
cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh
brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured
over ice and diluted with cold water
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