Nepal 1st Flush Jun Chiyabari Estate

This is the spring tea harvested earliest in the season. It gives a long-lasting aftertaste, with fresh floral flavor and muscatel undertones. The flavor is similar to the Darjeeling First Flush, but its aftertaste is much stronger.

We purchased interesting black tea from Nepal. The tea garden is located behind the Himalayan range, on the opposite side of Darjeeling.

IMO certified organic tea garden

Out of many tea gardens in Nepal, we selected Jun Chiyabari tea garden. This garden practices natural farming methods. They use no nitrogen-based fertilizer and no pesticide. I noticed that their material quality is quite ideal. Thanks to the natural farming practice, tea grows very slowly. As a result, it gives a longer-lasting taste and is rich in flavor. Jun Chiyabari garden is also an IMO certified organic tea garden.

Maximum 2100m of elevation

Jun Chiyabari garden is located at 1650 - 2100m. The high mountain climate makes the taste of the tea very rich and soft. At high elevation, the tea garden is exposed to strong sunshine in the daytime, and tea trees effectively carry out photosynthesis, while the temperature drops drastically at night and the consumption activity in the tea tree is very slow. As a result, the tea contains high polyphenol and mineral content, and this is reflected in the intensity of the aftertaste.

Long-lasting flavor and muscatel flavor

The characteristic of tea from Jun Chiyabari tea garden is the long-lasting aftertaste. Generally, the flavor of their tea lasts longer than most Darjeeling teas. In addition, their autumnal teas emit a delightful muscatel flavor. The muscatel flavor is produced as a result of green flies, which usually appear in large numbers in a tea garden that practices natural farming. Once a tea leaf is attacked by this particular fly, it generates a substance called terpene, which is subsequently transformed into muscatel flavor during fermentation.

Generally, the muscatel flavor becomes stronger after the tea is matured for a longer period of time. For further maturation, we suggest keeping the tea with an oxygen absorber. It is essential to remove oxygen for the development of the ideal flavor.

In particular, the flavor of the First Flush tea becomes distinctive when it is further matured. In countries with an equatorial climate like Malaysia, the tea develops a flavor reminiscent of grapes in 3 to 5 years. In our shop in Malaysia, the aged First Flush tea is always more popular than the fresh First Flush.

Unique selection following our preference

As a characteristic of Jun Chiyabari garden, their teas are generally baked longer at higher temperatures during the drying process. As a result, a number of their teas give a slight woodsy flavor and baked flavor. Some people may enjoy this characteristic. Nevertheless, I personally prefer tea that gives a refreshing floral or fruity flavor. So, out of many batches of tea, we have carefully selected the particular batch that underwent the least heat treatment, and it has a refreshing floral bouquet that suits our preference.