- A flush is a burst of new growth on the tea bush, and each season's flush makes a different tea from the same gardens.
- First flush is plucked from about March to April and second flush from May to June; these two fetch the highest prices.
- October and November bring the autumnal flush and the clearest mountain views, which makes them the best all-round months for a tea trip.
- Buy from a garden shop or an established Darjeeling tea house, ask for the garden name and the year, and drink first flush without milk.
What a flush is
A tea bush rests through the cold, dry winter. When the days lengthen and the first warm rain arrives, it pushes out new shoots, and that surge of growth is called a flush. Pluckers take the tender tip, the classic two leaves and a bud, and the bush grows again. Through the year it flushes several times, and because temperature, rain and sunlight change with the season, each round of leaves makes a noticeably different tea.
That is why Darjeeling tea is sold by season as well as by garden. The same estate on the same slope can produce a pale, almost green-tasting tea in March and a dark, rounded one in November. Most Darjeeling gardens grow the China variety of Camellia sinensis, often alongside clonal bushes, and they make orthodox tea: leaves withered, rolled, oxidised and dried, never cut and crushed like the cheaper CTC tea of the plains.
Darjeeling tea was the first product in India to be given a Geographical Indication, in 2004. Only tea grown and processed in the registered gardens of the Darjeeling hills, roughly 87 of them, can be sold under the name, which is why you see the round logo of a woman holding two leaves and a bud on genuine packs.
The four seasons at a glance
The months below are approximate. The first flush can begin in late February in a warm year and slip into May in a cold one, and every garden starts a little differently with its altitude and aspect.
| Flush | Months | In the cup | For travellers |
|---|---|---|---|
| First flush | March to April | Pale gold, light, floral and brisk | Clear mornings, cool, pluckers busy |
| Second flush | May to June | Amber, fuller, the muscatel note | Warm, hazy, pre-monsoon showers |
| Monsoon flush | July to September | Darker, stronger, less delicate | Rain, leeches, landslides, few visitors |
| Autumnal flush | October to November | Coppery, mellow, woody and smooth | Clearest views, festivals, busy |
| Dormant | December to February | No plucking | Cold, dry, factories mostly quiet |
First flush: the spring tea
The first flush comes after the winter rest, when the bushes put out their first shoots of the year. The leaf is tender and the tea it makes is light: a pale golden liquor, a bright, slightly astringent taste, and a scent that tasters describe as floral or green. The dry leaf often looks mixed green and brown, because first flush is usually less oxidised than later teas.
It is also the tea the trade waits for. The earliest lots from well-known gardens are sold fast and at high prices, and much of the best first flush goes abroad. In Darjeeling and Kurseong you can still taste it at garden shops and the better tea rooms from late March. Drink it without milk or sugar; it has nothing to hide behind.
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Second flush and the muscatel note
By May the bushes are growing strongly in warmer weather, and the second flush gives a fuller, rounder tea with an amber liquor. The best lots carry what tasters call the muscatel character, a flavour likened to muscat grapes. It is widely linked to small insects, leafhoppers and thrips, feeding on the leaves, which seems to trigger the plant to produce aromatic compounds; not every garden or every year gets it.
Second flush is the tea many regular Darjeeling drinkers prefer. It stands up to a splash of milk better than first flush, though most people still take it plain. Gardens around Kurseong, among them Castleton and Makaibari, have long been associated with fine second flush teas.
Monsoon and autumnal teas
From July to September the rains bring fast, heavy growth. Monsoon tea is darker and stronger, but it lacks the finesse of the spring and summer flushes, and most of it goes into blends or is sold cheaply. For budget travellers that is not bad news: a monsoon Darjeeling from a named garden can be a good everyday tea at a fraction of first flush prices.
After the rains, in October and November, the autumnal flush slows down and deepens. The tea is coppery in the cup, smooth and mellow, with a soft woody or nutty sweetness. It is the most forgiving Darjeeling for people who usually drink strong tea, and it makes a sensible gift. Plucking then winds down as the cold sets in, and by December most gardens stop for the winter.
From the slope to the factory
Whatever the season, the leaf follows the same path. Pluckers, most of them women from the garden's own villages, work along the rows with baskets on their backs, taking the bud and top two leaves by hand. The leaf is weighed at collection points on the slope, often twice a day, and carried to the factory before it can bruise or heat up.
Inside, it is spread on long troughs and withered: warm or cool air is blown through it for many hours until it goes limp and loses much of its water. Rolling machines then twist the soft leaf, breaking its cells so the juices meet the air. The leaf is left to oxidise, turning from green to coppery brown, and the factory manager judges by smell and colour when to stop it. Drying in hot-air machines fixes the tea, and sorting sieves it into grades, from whole leaf to broken leaf and fannings.
The difference between a first flush and an autumnal tea comes partly from the leaf and partly from these choices, above all how long the leaf is allowed to oxidise. If a garden near you offers a factory visit in season, take it; the smell of a withering loft at work stays with you.
When to visit the gardens
If tea is the reason for the trip, two windows stand out. Late March and April put you among the first flush, with fresh green bushes, pluckers on the slopes and, on many mornings, Kanchenjunga clear above the gardens. October and November give you the autumnal flush, the most reliable mountain views of the year and the festival season, though hotels and jeeps are busiest then.
May and June are fine for second flush and greener than spring, but expect haze and afternoon showers. The monsoon months are the hardest: slopes are slippery, leeches are out, and landslides close roads; check current status before you travel. In winter the gardens are bare-pruned and factories largely quiet, but the air is clear and rooms are cheap.
To be in the gardens rather than just looking at them, stay a night or two in a tea village. The Makaibari village homestays near Kurseong charge roughly ₹1,500–2,200 per person with meals, and the hosts are often garden families. Around Mirik the Gopaldhara estate road and the slopes below Ahaldara make good walks.
Buying and brewing without being fooled
Plenty of tea sold as Darjeeling in souvenir stalls is blended or from elsewhere. Buy from a garden's own shop, or from an established tea house in Darjeeling town, and ask three questions: which garden, which flush, which year. Good sellers will tell you and let you smell the leaf. Indicative prices for a decent garden tea run from about ₹250–600 per 100 g, with monsoon teas cheaper and top first flush lots far more.
- Use 2–3 g of leaf per cup, about a heaped teaspoon.
- Pour water just off the boil, cooler for first flush.
- Steep 3–4 minutes, then taste before adding anything.
- Store leaf airtight, away from light, and drink within a year.
Questions people ask
Good to know
What is the difference between first flush and second flush Darjeeling tea?
First flush is plucked in spring, roughly March to April, and makes a light, pale, floral tea. Second flush follows in May and June and is fuller and amber, often with the muscatel note. First flush is usually drunk plain; second flush takes a little milk better. Both fetch higher prices than monsoon or autumnal tea.
What is the best month to visit Darjeeling tea gardens?
October to November and late March to April are the best. Both bring active plucking and the clearest weather, with good chances of seeing Kanchenjunga from the gardens. October is also festival season and busier. May and June are fine for second flush but hazier, and the monsoon from July to September brings rain, leeches and landslides.
Why is second flush Darjeeling tea called muscatel?
Tasters describe a flavour in the best second flush teas that reminds them of muscat grapes. It is widely linked to small insects, mainly leafhoppers and thrips, feeding on the young leaves in early summer, which seems to prompt the plant to produce aromatic compounds. Not every garden or every year produces a strong muscatel note.
Is monsoon Darjeeling tea worth buying?
For everyday drinking, yes. Monsoon tea, plucked from July to September, is darker and stronger and lacks the delicacy of first and second flush, so it sells for much less. A monsoon tea from a named garden is a good way to drink real Darjeeling on a budget. Ask for the garden and year when you buy.
How can I tell if Darjeeling tea is genuine?
Look for the Darjeeling logo, a woman holding two leaves and a bud, and a named garden on the pack. Darjeeling tea has had Geographical Indication protection since 2004, and only tea from the registered gardens may use the name. Buy from a garden shop or an established tea house, and be wary of very cheap tea sold as first flush.
