Flush

Plants don’t produce leaves uniformly across the year. They flush — a synchronized push of new growth — in response to seasonal cues: spring rain, monsoon arrival, post-winter warming. Each flush carries a different chemistry. Spring flushes tend to be lighter, more aromatic, less astringent; later flushes are fuller-bodied, less floral.

The vocabulary is most developed in tea (Darjeeling distinguishes four flushes per year, each priced separately) but applies to herbs too. The first cut of basil, mint, or oregano in early spring tends to be the most concentrated; mid-summer leaves are often coarser.