Dooars Putharjhora FTGFOP1,First Flush, Organic
Dooars: while Darjeeling is up in the western Himalayan foothills the Dooars are the floodplains and foothills region of the eastern Himalayas in North-East India between the Brahmaputra River and Bhutan.
Putharjhora Tea Estate is a small garden at an elevation of 170-350 meters; annual rainfall is up to 4,000 mm; it has had organic status since 2004. Production is CTC but the garden has recently diversified into orthodox processing.
For tasting the tea was steeped in 140ml water at 100⁰C for five minutes.
Leaf: attractive dark brown, green and silver tip mix, hard withered in Darjeeling style.
Infusion – visual: slightly broken, mixed green and bronze
Infusion – aroma: very attractive distinct fragrance reminiscent of a first flush Darjeeling.
Liquor – visual: bright and clear, pale peachy amber colour
Liquor – taste: light, dry and crisp with a distinct Darjeeling character
Summary: this tea is a conundrum that is well worth studying – an excellent organic first flush tea with a distinct and elegant Darjeeling character – yet it breaks all the conventional rules by being produced at a low elevation.