Darjeeling first vs second flush
The same bushes on the same slopes, picked eight weeks apart, producing teas that share little beyond a name and a district.
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What is being compared
Why these get confused
Both are sold simply as 'Darjeeling', with the flush in small print or absent, and buying one expecting the other is a common disappointment. Flush means harvest, and in Darjeeling the first two of the year are different enough that treating them as one product misleads.
Point by point
| Aspect | Darjeeling first flush | Darjeeling second flush |
|---|---|---|
| When | March and April, the first growth after winter. | May and June, after the weather warms. |
| Oxidation | Light, often barely more than a green oolong. | Fuller, closer to a conventional black tea. |
| Colour | Pale gold-green. | Amber to coppery. |
| Flavour | Brisk, floral and astringent, with a green edge. | Muscat grape, stone fruit and honey, with more body. |
| Brewing | Cooler water and a short steep. It turns harsh fast. | A little hotter and slightly longer; more forgiving. |
| The leaf in the packet | Greenish and silvery with visible bud and a lot of colour variation. It frequently looks more like a green tea than a black one, which surprises people expecting Darjeeling to be dark. | Browner and more uniform, obviously a black tea, with golden tips in the better lots. |
| The insect | Not a factor. It is too early in the season. | Central to the best of it. Leafhopper feeding damage triggers the plant's response, and that response is where the muscatel character comes from — which is why an infested crop is prized rather than treated as a loss. |
| How it keeps | Poorly. The light, aromatic character fades noticeably within a year, so it is bought in the quantity you will drink that season. | Better. The fuller oxidation and heavier character are more robust in storage, and it takes milk, which first flush does not survive. |
| Price | Usually the highest of the Darjeeling year. | High, and the muscatel examples higher still. |
The short answer
First flush is the brighter and more delicate, second flush the rounder and sweeter. Most people who say they dislike Darjeeling have met an over-brewed first flush.
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