Darjeeling First Flush Visit by Veerinder

Darjeeling First Flush. Veerinder, Founder, The Tao of Tea visits the oldest tea factory of the region to select his micro lot of the new season.  The tea garden is at the edge of India and Nepal.  Located in the Mirik valley of Darjeeling, the estate is nestled on the banks of the river Mechi, at an altitude ranging from 1770 mtrs to 2360 mtrs. Okayti tea estate is spread across 608 hectares. The garden was first planted in 1888 and has been owned for generations by the Kumbhat family. We are great friends with Antrishk, who heads the garden now.  He keeps us high on the list of buyers given teh option to purchase the prized micro-lots.  The estate is known locally as ‘Rangdoo’.  The sound quality of the video is poor due to the high winds in the area.

Tea Map – Mirik

mirik

 

The town of Mirik (meaning “place burnt by fire”) is nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, not far from the major growing region of Darjeeling and also in close proximity to Nepal.  Mirik has a number of tea gardens that use the “China-Jaat” varietal of tea plant, which is highly sought after by many tea merchants.  It differs from the big-leaf Camellia Assamica varietal of other Indian regions by being more flowery in aroma.