Tea Term of the Month: “Flush”

Tea Term of the Month: “Flush”

Can refer both to the newest growth of buds and young leaf shoots that appears at the tip of each branch of the tea bush, as well as the particular time of harvest during the growing season. Several successive harvests can occur throughout the growing season, each happening when the latest “flush” of leaves emerge fom the tea bushes. Thus, the first harvest of the season is generally referred to as the “first flush,” and once the tea bushes have regrown a new flush of leaves, they are ready for the “second flush” harvest, and so on. Oftentimes, the different flushes throughout the growing season can exhibit variations in appearance, flavor and aroma. This is particularly the case when comparing a first flush Darjeeling tea to a second flush Darjeeling tea.