PAN FIRED DARJEELING GREEN TEA - NAGRI FARM - 2nd flush
(India Green Tea)
Country of Origin: India
Region: Darjeeling
Shipping Port: Calcutta
Grade: TGFOP1 (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe #1)
Altitude: 3000 - 4600 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type: Pan Fired Orthodox Green Tea
Cup Characteristics: Tending delicate, light liquoring with notes of muscatel, pungent (full body- typical of 2nd flush)
Infusion: Tending bright, green, typical infusion of a well made green tea
Ingredients: Premium green tea.
Information:
In the production of green tea the new leaves are hand plucked and immediately taken to the factory where they are slowly withered to reduce their water content. The leaves are not allowed to ferment and immediately go to the rolling process where the shape of the leaf is achieved. Following this they are pan fired which locks in the flavor. You can see that these teas are machined rolled since the leaf appearance is somewhat mixed and the final product has not been hand sorted (which would result in whole leaf and buds appearing). The pan-fired tea has more body than the steamed green Darjeeling because during the rolling stage a small amount of fermentation does occur - hence the slightly extra body.
Nagri Farm is a tea estate in the Darjeeling region. Prior to the 1800’s Nagri Farm, due to its prominent location where it has a commanding view of the surrounding plains, was a fortified (fort) location with a local garrison. There were occasional skirmishes between local tribes people and ‘outsiders’ from Nepal, Tibet and warring Maharajahs. Later the fort became a dairy farm using the old fort buildings. In the 1880’s use of the farm changed when tea was planted - hence the name of the estate.
The estate is divided into 34 sections. Section 1-5 are bushes that were planted prior to 1883 and section 6-12 were replanted in 1883. Sections 13-34 were subsequently planted over the intervening years. Interestingly these old bushes have a very unique shape - almost bonsai like. Despite the fact that these bushes are extremely hardy, the yield is low. The estate covers 286 hectare (726 acres) and the average yield is 600 pounds per acre - compare this to an estate in Assam (called Keyhung with young bushes) which has a yield of 2000 pounds per acre.
Hot tea brewing method: When preparing by the cup, this tea can be used repeatedly - about 3 times. The secret is to use water that is about 180’F or 80’C. Place 1 teaspoon in your cup let the tea steep for about 3 minutes and then begin enjoying a cup of enchantment - do not remove the leaves from the cup. Once the water level is low - add more water, and so on and so on - until the flavor of the tea is exhausted. Look at the pattern of the leaves in the brew, not only do they foretell your fortune but you can see the bud and shoots presenting themselves, begging you to add more water to savor the flavor.
Alternatively as with all top quality teas, scoop 2-4 teaspoons into the teapot, pour in boiling water that has been freshly drawn (previously boiled water has lost most of its oxygen and therefore tends to be flat tasting), steep for 2-4 minutes (to taste), stir (virtually all the leaves will sink), pour into your cup but do not add milk or sugar since green tea is enjoyed ‘straight-up’.