Presenting the 2025 Nilgiri Handmade Black Tea from the wintertime harvest after a pause of two years! We are happy to find this beautiful batch this year, showcasing the winter harvest like none other!
Indian estates have been redefining the boundaries of traditional black tea and taking it more and more away from the classic red tea or hong cha which once was the only dimention for black teas. This one even further blurs the line between black and whites, a minimally processed black tea, with a limited oxidation and delicate handling done completely by hand, we can honestly get away with calling it a white tea. With black teas here, the aim of the first harvest season of the year is to preserve the fresh growth juices with just a touch of oxidation and make it shine through the processing method we understand the most, orthodox black tea processing. The leaves develop all these intense and fresh winter/spring notes only after it is left to oxidise post rolling, that is when the tea is undergoing the controlled oxidation process and the leaf juices interact with each other resulting in these interesting flavours.
This particular tea though, goes through a bunch of unique steps. The withering is done using cold air instead of hot air. The temperature increase also happens by using hot water pipes opposed to flames. This adds a stability to the temperature and helps with preserving the wintertime character. Also, the tea is hand rolled on a purpose built Sri Lankan wooden board and we have seen the big difference it makes, in India as well as in Sri Lanka tea estates we visited a few years back.
The dry leaf has a sugary aroma, when placed on the heated ware, you get a little bit of honey note along with a touch of wood, resembling Nilgiri forests, woody but with a touch of mint. The first sip greets you with its fruity notes, with pears and pineapple taking centerstage. As you sip further, you can enjoy notes of some more fruits like litchi and apple. There is a floral part to it as well, mostly resembling rose buds. You can also notice a hint of ripe banana and honey, better when it cools down a little. There is a woody touch to the liquor as well, felt most on the finish. The liquour is also slightly creamy, we loved this batch the most because of the milky/creamy part. Overall it is an incredibly satisfying tea which will rejuvenate your mind by its fresh and fruity notes. We hope you enjoy this reintroduction!
Appearance : Yellow
Taste : Pineapple, pear, cream, honey, banana, apple, litchi, rose buds, wood
Steeping Time : 3 minutes western style, 25 seconds gongfu style adding 10 seconds every subsequent steep
Leaf to water ratio : 1 gram per 100ml for western style, 3 grams per 100ml for gongfu styleRecommended Steeping Temperature : 82-85°C
Recommended Steeping Method : Works good both ways
Harvest Season : Winter 2024-2025 ( Harvested in February 2025)
