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Each 1.06 oz Tin contains approximately 10-12 servings. Depending on steeping method, each serving can yield 2-3 cups, for a total of 20-30 cups per tin.
Mirik Valley in Darjeeling
First Flush, March 2021
5500 to 7000 ft
AV2
Lightly oxidized whole leaf black tea
We have chosen this artisanal Darjeeling First Flush tea because it is exquisite. It is exceptionally fragrant and reminiscent of the heady perfume from a blooming spring floral garden. It is rich yet delicate with notes of jasmine, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, and a hint of white peach. As its name suggests, this tea treasure is something you want to keep tucked safely away and bring out on special occasions. Definitely a recommendation for a tea enthusiast or tea aficionado.
This Spring Darjeeling tea from Mirik Valley in Darjeeling is made from leaves of the AV-2 cultivar. The AV-2 cultivar gives the sweet and rich flavors that make Himalayan Darjeeling teas special. The leaves are hand-plucked from the highest altitude of the tea garden during the first few weeks of spring (first pick). When the tea bushes are fresh out of hibernation from a prolonged winter, the most tender young leaves and buds are plucked. After plucking, the leaves are dried naturally for a prolonged period, minimally oxidized, and delicately rolled and dried. Darjeeling Spring Treasure is made in extremely small micro-ghani batches, so the supply of this highly coveted whole leaf tea is always limited.
low-moderate
To prepare an exquisite cup of Spring Darjeeling tea, use filtered water.
Number of infusions per 2.5 g: 3-4
2.5 gms of tea (use a digital scale)
120-150 ml ( 4-5 fl-oz) or 1/2 - 2/3rd cup of water at 185°F - 195°F (or 85°C - 90°C)
This Darjeeling Spring tea works great for the gongfu method of steeping as it helps coax out all the subtle flavors.
We recommend 5 gm of tea
100 ml water (approximate 10-20 ml of water per 1 gm of tea) at 85°C - 90°C (or 185°F - 195°F).
Origin
Mirik is a small charming town nestled in the serene hills of Darjeeling district in West Bengal, India. At an elevation of 5000 ft., it is surrounded by lush tea gardens, orange orchards, cardamom plantations, and forests of tall, dark Japanese cedars. Mirik, pronounced as Mir-yok, means ‘a place burnt by fire’ in Lepcha. Its cool weather and natural conditions make it the perfect setting for growing tea.
Abe and Poorvi, practicing physicians in Atlanta, founded Herbs & Kettles, fueled by their love for wellness and a deep appreciation for exceptional tea. Poorvi, a certified ITMA tea sommelier, ensures that each tea is personally selected for its wellness benefits, aroma, and flavor.
We travel to different regions of India to collaborate with small sustainable farmers, directly sourcing single-origin, single-batch teas for your enjoyment. Each tea is exquisite, and a testament to our dedication to quality and wellness.
Meet
Red pandas dwell in the Eastern Himalayan region of India and also in China. They are skillful acrobats that are arboreal. They are mostly herbivorous and their name comes from a Nepali word “ponya” which means one who eats bamboo. Red pandas are endangered and there are about 10,000 animals left, of which over 50% live in India.
I'm again drinking this one both hot and iced, I brewed 5oz of tea for my hot tasting then resteeped another 5oz and poured over ice
This tea has a nice aroma that's not to overly sweet a little bit vegetal, and brews up a nice yellow golden color, the leaves dry are thin and brittle but open up quite nicely as they steep
Drinking hot this tea is pretty vegetal, a little bit astringent and sits dry on the pallet, there's a bit if a hint of sweetness and oak
Drinking iced this tea is a bit less astringent, and doesn't sit dry on the pallet, it mutes some of the vegetalness but is still very present and a much smoother sipping, it also brings out a bit of faint floral taste
Herbs and Kettles
Darjeeling Spring Treasure
The Darjeeling Spring Treasure tea is a floral forward Darjeeling tea. The leaves are more on the greenish side and the liquid brews up a yellow golden color.
This is a pleasant and delicate cup of tea. If I didn’t know any better I might believe it was a green tea with the light color and more floral, delicate flavors. There’s even a honey like quality to the cup.
I have been provided this tea for review but all opinions are my own.
Packaged in a beautiful tin, hinting at spring to come. The dry leaves are a stunning mix of sage green and silvery tips, with a fresh, floral aroma.
Brewed Western style 2.5g/ 5oz at 190°F for 2min, 1min, 1min. As it steeps, delicate notes of sweet spring blossoms and hay fill the air, mingling with a gentle woodiness. The leaves unfurl, producing a pale golden yellow liquor. This special Darjeeling first flush tea is light and bright, with a silky mouthfeel and just a hint of briskness, making it wonderfully refreshing.
Floral teas have never been my favorite, but this one changed my mind. At first sip jasmine and honeysuckle lead, followed by grassy and woody notes, all wrapped in a juicy sweetness that lingers on the palate. Sip after sip the blossoms dance on my tongue and I can’t help but picture wandering through a sunlit meadow filled with delicate white flowers. It even brings back childhood memories of sipping honeysuckle nectar. I can’t express how beautifully balanced this “treasure” of a tea is.
With the second steep, the floral notes soften and the oak fades, revealing a richer honeyed sweetness with hints of peach. By the third steep, the flavors mellow into a smooth, delicate cup with a lingering toasty floral finish. This is truly a posh cup of tea, ideal for a quiet morning or peaceful afternoon.
Notes:
This tea is best enjoyed plain. Milk overwhelmed its delicate flavors, and sugar wasn’t necessary (which says a lot, as I usually enjoy a sweetened cup). It was also lovely iced, though I preferred it hot.
This TEA-light is definitely aptly named “Treasure”, in my opinion! 🤩☕️💎🌟
Even though this is a black tea, it could really fool you with its pale brewing color, smoothness on the tongue, and vegetal seaweed notes. (Almost like a green tea!) The beautiful curly leaves even smell fresh and lovely just opening the tin. Excellent! I can’t wait to try the other two I received with this one!
Today, I’m sipping on the Darjeeling Spring Treasure from Herbs and Kettles, and it’s truly a little luxury in a cup. From the first sip, it’s light, floral, and incredibly soft, with a natural sweetness that lingers just enough to savor the moment. The aroma is like stepping into a spring garden—fresh, delicate, and uplifting. While the flavor dances between honeysuckle, flowers, and gentle hints of fruit. There’s no bitterness, just a perfectly balanced, elegant cup that feels like a quiet escape from the busy day. This is the kind of tea that invites you to slow down, take a deep breath, and appreciate the beauty in simple pleasures. 🍵
#TeaLoversClub #DarjeelingTea #TeaReview #SteepedInJoy #SajolieTeaTime
Darjeeling first flush teas are made in the first growing season of the month, which is spring. They have a special processing method where they undergo prolonged withering and then oxidation, so they are lightly oxidized teas. They have a lovely freshness with vegetal, floral, and fruity notes reminiscent of a spring meadow.
About low-moderate as this is a lightly oxidized black tea. However, depending on the plucking, if there are more young tea buds and leaves, the caffeine content can increase as caffeine is in the trichomes of the tea leaves, which are most present in the tea buds and younger leaves, and decreases as the leaf gets older.
In Darjeeling, there is very little if no tea production in the winter months, and so after a long period, there is suddenly this beautiful, wonderful artisanal Darjeeling tea which is produced, and just like champagne, it has nuanced, complex notes, and is very prized. The flurry of activity in the first couple weeks when the first flush is being made is so exciting for the tea farmers and buyers. Everyone awaits this “tea treasure” of excellence.
Darjeeling first flush teas are usually a pale yellow with wonderful, complex notes and a delicious fresh bite or astringency,
First Flush teas can be enjoyed without milk, if you choose to add milk, we recommend adding just a dash of milk or cream while the tea is being made.
Our single origin first flush Darjeeling Rare Spring Treasure is sourced from a small boutique, high-altitude tea garden in Mirik Valley in Darjeeling.
Yes, we work directly with tea growers across India and personally select their best batches.
We focus on creating strong partnerships with farmers across India and personally selecting their best batches. Our teas are single origin, small batch, and directly sourced with a focus on flavor, season, and terroir. Our loose-leaf teas are all high quality with nuanced aromas and flavors, excellent for gongfu steeping or Western style steeping.
Unlike commodity teas or other Indian tea companies, which often sell broken teas, we offer whole leaf teas. When steeped, whole leaf teas provide a wonderful taste and flavor without the astringency and bitterness that comes with steeping broken teas.
We are tea sommeliers with strong connections to farmers across India. We select single origin, single batch, directly sourced teas with a focus on flavor, terroir, and season. By eliminating the middleman, we ensure that our teas are fresh, often weeks to months old, compared to commodity teas which can be years old.
Our focus on whole leaf teas ensures wonderful aromas and flavors that you will enjoy. Our customers enjoy our teas and we often hear from tea connoisseurs, “we did not enjoy Indian teas as much until we tried the exceptional teas offered by Herbs & Kettles.”
Our teas are farm fresh and packed at origin. We work with tea farmers who use organic farming methods and ensure that their tea workers are treated fairly, helping to uplift the entire community.
By working directly with tea farmers and maintaining strong partnerships, we eliminate the middleman. Our regional loose leaf teas are packed at origin, ensuring farm-to-cup freshness.
We purchase new lots every year, and our teas are often air mailed to us rather than shipped by ocean, ensuring they are weeks or months old instead of years old which is often a problem with grocery stores or commodity teas. We recommend trying it for yourself to appreciate the freshness and quality of our teas.
Yes, we share our passion for high quality Indian teas by offering seasonal and limited edition teas such as Darjeeling Yanki Red Oolong and Meghalaya Silver Needle. We buy new lots every year ensuring that each tea retains farm to cup freshness and also select new interesting teas for our collection.
Tea lovers may enjoy our premium subscription box - Herbs & Kettles Fine Tea Club, which includes fantastic, seasonal, limited batch teas that are often only weeks old, air mailed directly from our farm partners.
If you're looking for a Darjeeling tea based on the season or flush, we've chosen them with extreme care to ensure that each batch is exceptional and the best of the season.
For those who enjoy malty Assam teas, we have a premium collection, including innovative batches like Assam GABA and Assam Smoked Melody. Our Nilgiri Frosted teas are divine, and we also offer teas from lesser-known regions such as Meghalaya and Sikkim.
Additionally, we carry wild teas from Manipur and Nagaland in the extreme northeastern region of India, close to Yunnan. Can't decide? We offer tea samples to help you find your favorite teas.
Herbs and Kettles ships online orders within 2-4 business days of receiving them. National holidays and carrier delays will impact the shipment.
A shipping confirmation will be sent to your email when your order ships. This email will include a tracking number.
At present, we do not ship internationally but are hoping to do so soon. If you are interested in any of our products for personal use or resale, please feel free to contact us at info@herbsandkettles.com
At Herbs and Kettles, we are dedicated to providing you with products of the highest quality.
We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return.
For returns, unopened items can be sent back at your expense within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.
Shipping fees are non-refundable.
It's essential that the boxes remain unopened, unused, and in good condition when they reach our receiving warehouse.
Before initiating a return, please contact us at info@herbsandkettles.com for instructions and the return address.
Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted.
We do not accept returns on gift cards.
If you have concerns about the quality of a product or a damaged product, please reach out to us at info@herbsandkettles.com and we will be happy to assist you.
Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.