Have you heard of #Muscatel ? No, not the #wine varietal , we are talking #tea here. :)

The famous Darjeeling second flush, or the season’s second tea crop, is a much sought-after tea, which when brewed, emits a Muscatel sweet flavour and aroma that is unique to this area and goes by the sobriquet ‘muscatel’.

Interesting to note (especially if you are into wines), is its similarity to the ‘noble rot’ in wines which many a times is responsible for the sweetness and flavour in muscat wine varietals. During this second-flush period, about 12 estates in #Darjeeling attract strange insects: green flies called jassids and thrips who as pests feed on the buds and on the tops of leaves, act as catalysts in producing flavor from these leaves. They suck juices inside the leaves, resulting in the green leaves turning yellow in color which produces a substance called terpene. With some moderate oxidation of terpene during the oxidation process, the tea gains flavors of muscatel or honey.

The production of this unique flavor is extremely short-lived with the period of insects flying over tea buds restricted to about two weeks in a year. Thereafter the leaves need to be carefully plucked and processed immediately to retain flavor & freshness. This is also the reason why muscatel comes with a decent price tag and its popularity.
This is one tea which becomes increasingly pleasant to drink as it matures. #have you ever tried a muscatel? Let us know .

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