The four flushes
| Flush | Roughly when | In the cup | Usually sold as |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | March to May | Lighter, brisk, slightly floral | Named first flush, at a premium |
| Second | Late May into June | Malty, full, sweet finish, golden tips | The classic Assam |
| Monsoon | July to September | Flat, strong, plain | Unnamed, blended, mostly CTC |
| Autumn | October to November | Softer, rounder, less brisk | Occasionally named |
Why the season changes the tea
The plant grows at different rates through the year, and how fast a shoot grows changes what is in it. Slow growth in cooler weather concentrates flavour. Fast growth in heavy monsoon rain dilutes it.
Second flush arrives when growth has slowed after the first rush and before the monsoon proper. That combination is what gives the malt. It is also when the golden tips appear in quantity, which is why the tippy grades described in Assam tea grades explained are associated with this pluck.
The monsoon flush nobody advertises
Most of Assam’s volume comes off the bush in the wettest months, and most of it goes into blends. It is not bad tea. It is plain tea, made for strength and colour rather than character, and it is the backbone of the CTC that Assam actually drinks.
Nobody markets a monsoon flush by name because there is nothing distinctive to say about it. That is worth knowing when a packet gives you no harvest date at all.
What to ask for
The harvest date, not the year. A packet marked “2026” could be March or October and those are different teas. A garden that prints an actual pluck date is telling you it has nothing to hide about age.
If the seller cannot tell you the flush, you are buying a blend. That may be fine. It is just not a single flush tea and should not be priced like one.
Storing it
Airtight, dark, away from anything with a smell. Tea takes on whatever is next to it, and a packet stored beside coffee or spices will taste of them within weeks.
Black tea holds for a year or two. It does not spoil, it fades. A second flush bought for its malt and drunk two years later will still be tea and will no longer be the reason you bought it.
What we have not verified
We have not tasted the same garden’s four flushes from one season side by side. The descriptions above are drawn from tea people we have asked and from drinking across seasons, not from a controlled vertical tasting, which is the only way to do this properly.
Related reading
Common questions
- What is second flush Assam tea?
- Second flush is the pluck that runs roughly from late May into June. It produces the malty, full-bodied character Assam is known for, with golden tips in the leaf and a distinctive sweetness in the cup.
- What is the difference between first and second flush Assam?
- First flush, from around March to May, is lighter, brisker and more floral. Second flush, from late May into June, is maltier, rounder and sweeter. Most tea sold simply as Assam is second flush or a blend weighted towards it.
- When is Assam tea harvested?
- Plucking runs roughly from March to November. First flush is March to May, second flush late May into June, then a monsoon flush through the wettest months, and an autumn flush from around October.
- Which Assam flush should I buy?
- Second flush if you want what Assam is famous for. First flush if you drink your tea black and prefer something lighter. Monsoon flush is the everyday blending tea and is rarely sold by name.
Written by
Kundan GuptaWrites from Assam. Checks fares and fees in person before publishing.
Kundan Gupta runs Axomor and edits its Northeast India coverage. He is responsible for the accuracy of the guides published here, including checking permit rules, fees and travel logistics against primary sources before they go live.