| DARJEELING What do all the letters mean? They describe the character of the leaf, the harvesting year, and the proportion of flavorful buds, but not the flavor itself; for that, the flush and estate name are a guide. The 1st Flush is the first growth of the tea that begins with the spring rains in March. The liquor and flavor are both delicate and light, and a tell-tale greenish tinge to the leaf indicates a good tea, from the very first pluckings. After the 1st Flush has ended, a second set of showers in May begins the 2nd Flush season. This flush is renowned for the strength of its muscatel characteristic, sweet and smooth, that makes these teas some of the most prized in the world. Toward the end of the 2nd Flush, in June, the monsoon rains begin a period of lush growth that produces lesser-quality teas. But when the rains are gone, in October, a smaller set of showers brings the Autumnal Flush that produces the teas with the darkest and richest liquor of the season. So SFTGFOP? It stands for Super Fine Tippy (young, small leaves) Golden Flowery (lots of buds) Orange Pekoe (a full leaf). "Orange" comes from the Dutch royal house of Orange, by which Dutch traders meant "Tea fit for a king," and "Pekoe" is how the Chinese word for leaf sounded to them. |
