Tasting notes: Potong First Flush 2015

While tasting the 2015 first flush Darjeeling teas, we literally fell in love with this first flush. The Potong cooperative brings together small producers from tea gardens that were established over 100 years ago.

Their produce has been certified organic since 2008 and Fairtrade since 2009 and Potong tea continues to delight us year after year. It compares favourably with the best Darjeeling gardens as this excellent 2015 vintage proves yet again.

A little gem for lovers of subtle and delicate first flushes.

Origin: the gardens of the Potong cooperative, Darjeeling, India

Type of Darjeeling: first flush, first spring harvest

Tea colour: black

Water temperature: 90°C

Infusion time in a large 500 ml teapot: 3-4 minutes

How much to use: 4 grams per half litre

Dry leaves: small leaves in pretty shades of green and brown; dark and well worked with lots of silvery grey buds.

The scent is herbaceous, milky and fruity with citrus notes.

Infused leaves: brown-green, shiny, evenly developed leaves

Liquor: clear with a golden yellow colour

Aroma: the fragrance is particularly fresh and pleasant. One can detect notes of nuts, brown sugar and almond paste reminiscent of marzipan. The promise of a delicious cup!

In the mouth: A very tasty cup! The herbaceous and flowery aromas, typical of Darjeeling are accompanied by pleasant bitter almond notes, salted butter and caramel.

The well-balanced infusion is full of flavour and freshness and lingers on the palate for a deliciously long time. A tea to fall in love with!

The Potong cooperative ( West Bengal / Darjeeling)

The Potong tea gardens, located on the Himalayan foothills in the Darjeeling region, were created more than a hundred years ago. The gardens were abandoned by its owners twice because of economic recessions: first in the last 1970s and then again in the 1990s. These downturns caused severe socio-economic difficulties for the 343 workers and their families. However, the Potong cooperative was eventually born when Tea Promoters of India acquired the gardens in 2005.

Nowadays, this association of small producers is working in partnership with the Singell tea factory. Their production is organic farming certified (since 2008) as well as certified fair trade (since 2009). In 2008, we provided them with financial support in order to set up an irrigation system. The cooperative subsequently named this newly irrigated plot “Gaia Bari”, literally “The Gardens of Gaia” (in French “Les Jardins de Gaia”) as a thank-you gesture for our support.

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