Black Tea – Golden Tips (Fall Harvest)

-Origin: Ilam, Nepal
-Ingredients: Camilia Senensis
-Type: Black; Made from young leaves and unopened buds which are oxidized to a brilliant gold. It infuses to a coppery colored liquor with a rich, earthy taste with some floral notes and a hints of honey and finishes with a long, complex taste
-Character: Robust and malty character, Notes of honey, Toffee and cocoa, Marked astringency, Long and complex taste
-Suggested food pairing: Assorted tapas, Blue cheese, Rye bread
-Harvest season: Fall

These tea leaves are picked from late July to October, after careful weeding of the tea garden after the Summer Harvest. Monsoon or rainy season, lasts in Nepal from June to September, the tea plants resume growth until October. Some call this the “Autumn Flush” or “Third Flush”. The rains stop and growth slows down for Third Flush teas. Terroir is strongest during this stage. Tea connoisseurs like Third Flush teas as tea made from this flush pickings tastes earthy and robust.