On your tea drinking journey you’ll often come across terms like 'Pre-Rain' and 'First-Flush' while exploring different varieties of tea. These terms refer to the harvest time of the tea leaves, which greatly influences the tea's flavour and character. This article explains what these terms mean.

As the weather warms up across some of the world's greatest tea-producing countries, tea bushes are pushing out their first buds and tiny leaves. Tea pickers will be entering the fields, and tea artisans will be starting to produce some of the world's finest teas. If you've ever heard terms like "pre-rain" or "first flush" used to describe tea, you may wonder what these descriptions mean and what makes tea harvested in spring so special. In this article, we'll delve into the lifecycle of the tea plant to explain why early spring teas should be on your shopping list.