2025 First Flush Lakyrsiew Estate Black Tea from India

From Lakyrsiew Estate in Meghalaya, meaning "home of the clouds," comes this exceptional early spring harvest. The estate sits on ancestral Khasi land along the southern bank of Lake Umiam between 3,300 and 4,300 feet, where the family has been making tiny quantities of organic tea since 2002. The story reaches back nearly 170 years, when the British first identified this region as ideal for tea cultivation before abandoning the project due to its remoteness. Planted with Darjeeling cultivars like AV2 on virgin soil, Lakyrsiew produces some of India's most distinctive teas. This first flush shows why people seek out these lightly oxidized Indian black teas: they offer the supple, light character reminiscent of fine Darjeeling first flush, with delicate complexity that sets them apart from heavier, fully oxidized styles.

The cup is remarkably light, steeping to a pale yellow liquor. Extremely fresh aromatics lead into clean notes of cucumber, watermelon rind, and pear, with white floral and fruity layers that unfold as you sip. There's a cooling finish and lingering sweetness that makes it genuinely refreshing. This style of gentle oxidation captures spring's fleeting character in a way fully oxidized teas cannot, creating an ethereal quality that tea lovers prize. It's delicate without being fragile, sweet without being heavy, and thoroughly engaging from first sip to finish.