Compare two teas

Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.

First teaSecond tea

TeaHQ has written about this pair

The same bushes on the same slopes, picked eight weeks apart, producing teas that share little beyond a name and a district.

When: Darjeeling second flush: May and June, after the weather warms.Darjeeling first flush: March and April, the first growth after winter.
Oxidation: Darjeeling second flush: Fuller, closer to a conventional black tea.Darjeeling first flush: Light, often barely more than a green oolong.
Colour: Darjeeling second flush: Amber to coppery.Darjeeling first flush: Pale gold-green.
Flavour: Darjeeling second flush: Muscat grape, stone fruit and honey, with more body.Darjeeling first flush: Brisk, floral and astringent, with a green edge.
Brewing: Darjeeling second flush: A little hotter and slightly longer; more forgiving.Darjeeling first flush: Cooler water and a short steep. It turns harsh fast.
The leaf in the packet: Darjeeling second flush: Browner and more uniform, obviously a black tea, with golden tips in the better lots.Darjeeling first flush: 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.
The insect: Darjeeling second flush: 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.Darjeeling first flush: Not a factor. It is too early in the season.
How it keeps: Darjeeling second flush: Better. The fuller oxidation and heavier character are more robust in storage, and it takes milk, which first flush does not survive.Darjeeling first flush: Poorly. The light, aromatic character fades noticeably within a year, so it is bought in the quantity you will drink that season.
Price: Darjeeling second flush: High, and the muscatel examples higher still.Darjeeling first flush: Usually the highest of the Darjeeling year.

In summary: 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.

Point by point

Dimension	Darjeeling second flush	Darjeeling first flush
Category	Black tea · heavily oxidised	Black tea · lightly oxidised
Production	In order: Withering → Rolling and shaping → Oxidation → Drying. bud and two leaves and second flush harvest.	In order: Withering → Rolling and shaping → Oxidation → Drying. bud and two leaves and first flush harvest.
Origin	India — Darjeeling — Protected designation: Protected by an Indian geographical indication.	India — Darjeeling — Protected designation: Protected by an Indian geographical indication.
Flavour	fruity and woody. medium and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: muscat grape, apricot, walnut, warm wood. Layered in character. Moderate in intensity.	floral, citrus and vegetal. light and drying in the mouth. Aroma: white flowers, green almond, citrus peel, fresh hay. Layered in character. Moderate in intensity.
Brewing	Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 210s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 4–5 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 10s of 5 authored. Flash-chilled iced tea: 2.5–3.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 150s. Mug infuser brewing: 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 85–92 °C, first steep 210s.	Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 85–90 °C, first steep 180s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 4–5 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 10s of 5 authored. Mug infuser brewing: 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 85–92 °C, first steep 210s. Cold brew tea: 1.2–2 g/100 ml at 4–10 °C, first steep 28800s.
Cultural context	Used in Afternoon tea, Assam and Darjeeling garden heritage, Tea and the British Empire and Adda and the Bengali tea stall.	Used in Assam and Darjeeling garden heritage. Oxidation levels vary widely between gardens and years; two first flushes from the same season can look and taste like different categories. Far more tea is sold as Darjeeling than the district produces. A garden name, a flush and a picking year are the practical markers of a genuine lot; their absence is not proof of anything, but their presence is worth paying for.
Who may prefer it	Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew and is traditionally drunk plain.	Someone who wants presence without being dominated and has drunk enough tea to notice what changes between infusions. It rewards attention to leaf weight and timing.

Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.

Brew Darjeeling second flush · Brew Darjeeling first flush