The Matigara Tea Estate, just a couple minutes’ walk from my flat. (Sounds a bit idyllic, but not a particularly peaceful walk — have to cross a major highway, dodging cars, trucks, totos and cows!)Close-up of a tea plant. I am not sure exactly when harvest will begin. For the highest quality teas, only the top three leaves are plucked. The tea first harvest of the year (usually three harvests annually) is called the “first flush” and is the highest quality. I heard the other day that the queen (QEII) drinks a cup of Darjeeling tea each afternoon. I imagine she drinks first flush/top three leaves tea!
The tea pluckers are paid by the kilogram of leaves. I think if I were in the tea-plucking field, I might try to slip some of those other leaves in my basket to increase the weight. But then I would ruin my reputation as a plucker. The other leaves are there to support the plant and keep it healthy so it can produce the top tips! Ask Queen Mary for some first flush — she might deign to present you with some.
A Northwesterner in North Bengal 
And the other leaves? Tea for those down the pecking order? How do I get “first flush” tea like Lizzy gets?
LikeLike
The tea pluckers are paid by the kilogram of leaves. I think if I were in the tea-plucking field, I might try to slip some of those other leaves in my basket to increase the weight. But then I would ruin my reputation as a plucker. The other leaves are there to support the plant and keep it healthy so it can produce the top tips! Ask Queen Mary for some first flush — she might deign to present you with some.
LikeLike
PS Love all these pics! Let’s see a pic of you and Julie!
LikeLike