First Flush Lakyrsiew Estate Black Tea from India

This first flush is proof that a black tea can be light and still completely captivating. It steeps to a pale, clear gold and drinks fresh and cooling, with crisp notes of cucumber and watermelon rind, ripe pear, and a wash of white flowers that lingers into a sweet, almost minty finish. The oxidation is kept gentle, closer in spirit to a fine Darjeeling first flush than to a heavier Indian black, so the cup stays supple and ethereal from the first sip to the last.

Lakyrsiew sits on the southern bank of Lake Umiam in Meghalaya, planted on untouched soil in 2002 and farmed organically ever since by Nayantara and Geert Linnebank, who make only tiny handcrafted batches of black, green, and white tea. The British identified this region for tea nearly 170 years ago and then left it alone, so these Darjeeling cultivars grow on virgin highland soil between 3,300 and 4,300 feet. This early spring picking captures the fleeting, delicate character of the season in a way fully oxidized teas simply cannot, and it is one of the most refreshing black teas we carry.

2025 spring production. Organically produced.