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Mirik Valley, Darjeeling
Autumn, November
5500-7000 ft
Special Assam cultivar
Whole leaf purple Tea
This is a limited edition batch which was made exclusively for our tea company. It is made from a rare Camellia sinensis assamica cultivar, which has a purple hue. It is rich in antioxidants as the plant produces a high level of anthocyanins and polyphenols. This whole leaf tea is composed of two leaves and a bud. It is minimally processed and crafted similar to a green tea where it is handpicked, withered and dried. The tea has lovely subtle aromas and flavors that are reminiscent of honey, cantaloupes, dates, holy basil, and grass. Interestingly if you add a few drops of lime to it the cup of liquor turns into a beautiful pink color.
Purple tea bushes were first discovered growing in the wild in Assam. In 1903 a British settler, named G.W.L. Caine took purple tea plants from Assam and planted a few of them in Limuru, Kenya. While purple tea production in Kenya is thriving, India has just recently started making very small artisanal batches. This small limited micro-ghani batch was made especially for us.
Low
Number of infusions per 2.5 g: 3
2.5 gms of tea (use a digital scale)
120-150 ml (4-5 fl-oz) or 1/2 - 2/3rd cup of water at 80°C - 85°C (or 175°F - 185°F)
This tea works great for the gongfu style as it helps coax out all the subtle flavors.
We recommend 5 gm of tea
100 ml water (approximate 10-20 ml of water per 1 gm of tea) at 85°C - 90°C (or 185°F - 195°F).
Origin
Mirik is a small charming town nestled in the serene hills of Darjeeling district in West Bengal, India. At an elevation of 5000 ft., it is surrounded by lush tea gardens, orange orchards, cardamom plantations, and forests of tall, dark Japanese cedars. Mirik, pronounced as Mir-yok, means ‘a place burnt by fire’ in Lepcha. Its cool and moist climate make it the perfect setting for growing tea.
Meet
Red pandas dwell in the Eastern Himalayan region of India and also in China. They are skillful acrobats that are arboreal. They are mostly herbivorous and their name comes from a Nepali word “ponya” which means one who eats bamboo. Red pandas are endangered and there are about 10,000 animals left, of which over 50% live in India.
