The sight of deft fingers plucking tea with a sharp eye will be back in action from February 17 in the Northeast’s tea gardens.

The Tea Board of India said in its order on Tuesday that the starting date of plucking/receiving of green leaves for all tea factoriesis February 17.

“This has been done after getting feedback from industry stakeholders and consulted with them for stipulating a suitable timeline for starting the next cropping season/manufacturing in accordance with the natural cropping pattern of the bush,” the order said.

The board said in the event of any prospect of early cropping and starting of manufacturing before February 17 by any manufacturer due to favourable weather conditions/other factors, it needs to be brought to the attention of the authorities concerned.

There are four harvest periods for tea in the country — first flush, second flush, rain flush and autumn flush.

Leaves plucked during the first flush are the youngest and the most tender part of the tea plant and are said to yield the purest and freshest cup of tea that the plant is capable of producing.

The first flush from March to April is the first plucking after the dormant winter months.

The leaves are tender and light green.

The liquor is light, clear and bright with a pleasant and brisk flavour.

Assam tea is generally known for the second flush, which comes in May-June and is characterised by its boldness and robustness and is topped with classic flavours of malt and woody astringency.

It is known for its rich taste, bright liquors and is considered to be one of the choicest teas in the world for its flavour.