Our Darjeeling loose leaf tea from Organic Marybong Estate is a delicate first flush black tea with a light copper infusion, soft floral aroma and naturally sweet muscatel character. Grown at high altitude in Darjeeling’s Eastern Valley, this refined single-estate tea is best enjoyed without milk, allowing its clean, peachy brightness and smooth finish to come forward.
Darjeeling Loose Leaf Tea from Organic Marybong Estate
Marybong is a historic Darjeeling tea garden with a name rooted in local tradition. In the Lepcha language of the Darjeeling hills, Marybong means “Mary’s place”. The estate began as part of the neighbouring Lingia garden before being joined with the adjacent Kyel Estate and formally established in 1876.
The garden sits at high altitude in Darjeeling’s Eastern Valley, where cool Himalayan air, mist and well-drained mountain soils help produce teas of exceptional fragrance and delicacy. Marybong is planted largely with the original China variety of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, known for its smaller leaves, gentle complexity and elegant flavour.
A Delicate Organic First Flush Darjeeling
This organic first flush Darjeeling is made from the earliest growth of the season, picked as the tea bushes emerge from winter dormancy. These young spring leaves produce a lighter, brighter cup than later harvests, with a distinctive freshness prized by Darjeeling tea drinkers.
In the cup, Marybong gives a delicate light copper liquor with peachy highlights, floral aroma and a soft muscatel depth. The finish is smooth, clean and lingering, with natural sweetness and very little astringency.
Best Enjoyed Without Milk
This is a tea for quiet appreciation rather than a strong breakfast brew. It is ideal as an unhurried morning cup or a calm afternoon tea, especially for those who enjoy refined single-estate black teas with provenance and subtlety.
Milk is not recommended, as it would cover the delicate floral notes, natural sweetness and gentle muscatel character that make first flush Darjeeling so distinctive.
How to Brew Marybong First Flush Darjeeling
Use freshly drawn water heated to around 90°C to 95°C rather than a full boil. This slightly lower temperature helps protect the delicate floral compounds and prevents unwanted bitterness.
Use one heaped teaspoon of leaves per cup and steep for three to four minutes. Remove the leaves promptly once brewed. The leaves may also be infused a second time for a slightly lighter cup using the same steeping time.
Ingredients
Organic Darjeeling black tea, Camellia sinensis.
About High Teas London
Established in 2008, High Teas London is an independent loose leaf tea specialist offering one of the largest collections of teas and infusions in the country. We source distinctive teas from respected gardens around the world, chosen for flavour, quality and provenance.
