Who:
Rishi Saria is the owner of Rohini Tea Garden (also the owner of Gopaldhara Tea Estate)
What:
‘Spring Beauty’ a hand-rolled oolong tea made from an uncommon clone called ‘Teesta Valley – 1’ planted in Rohini. I managed to secure a very small amount (500g) of it before the lot was purchased by someone else. It doesn’t have an invoice number because it doesn’t go to wholesale markets but it would be an EX tea. It doesn’t go into the grading system of SFTGFOP1 but as I’ve come to learn, that ‘leaf grading system’ has lost its original meaning and is basically dead anyway. Under the original meaning, this would be an SFTGFOP1 tea though, it’s a very tippy tea.
Where:
Darjeeling, West Bengal State of India. Rohini Tea Garden is adjacent to Makai Bari, slightly South East of Castleton, and South of Giddapahar and is found in Kurseong South valley. The tea is picked at an elevation of approximately 914m (3000ft) above sea level.
When:
This tea was picked on February 20th 2021. It arrived in Calgary on Friday April 16th. It was packed into UV jars on April 18th.
Why:
Why was it made? Experimentation. Small batch experiments are a common activity for Rishi and his team to explore the possibilities of future tea styles. Hand-rolled teas are less than 1% of Rohini’s yearly production and represent a strong attempt to change the perception of Indian tea as a commodity product to enter the realm of specialty teas dominated by China, Japan, and Taiwan.
Why did I choose to import and sell it? There are many reasons, but first and foremost it’s based on the flavor and aroma profile. It’s like a hybrid of 2 teas I really enjoy: Fujianese Bai Mu Dan and Taiwanese Oriental Beauty. I’ve had nothing quite like it before, and I certainly wouldn’t have expected to find that flavor in India. The flavor is not obtained through the insect damage method (it’s a wonder how this flavor is formed at all… It must be due to the cultivar? altitude? Rishi doesn’t know either) Other than the flavor, I like the idea that I’m not only supporting a farmer directly but supporting him in a way that might give his hard work more meaning — and that’s by buying the lots which he was inspired to make, which surely gives him the confidence that someone out there cares about his goals and ambitions.
Lastly:
Darjeeling is one of the tea-producing areas of the world that often fails to live up to its hype/fame. If you’ve felt that way before, I hope you might give one of the Darjeeling tea’s on this site a chance. For what it’s worth — they’re very good to me, I wouldn’t sell them here otherwise. I believe I’ve done my due diligence to select only the absolute pinnacle of what was presented to me (and I have some deeply knowledgeable sources this year that provided me with a great spread to select from).
