Darjeeling Tea Estates

Darjeeling, a town steeped in history, and set against the backdrop of the Himalayas, produces teas that enthrall both tea connoisseurs and casual enthusiasts alike. Darjeeling produces all tea varieties - black, oolong, green, and white.

Rich Legacy, Unparalleled Taste

Arthur Campbell is the man credited with introducing Darjeeling to tea in 1841. Tea nurseries were established around 1847 and the Darjeeling Tea Company came up in 1856.

Most tea gardens in Darjeeling are legacy gardens, being home to tea plants that are more than 100 years old. Incidentally, the Darjeeling tea was the first product from India to receive the GI tag. Indeed, this tea has become part of the country’s identity.

Spring, Summer, and Autumn teas

There are three main harvest seasons in Darjeeling—spring, summer and autumn. Spring is the one that everyone looks forward to, coming as it does after a winter. The season runs between mid Feb all the way to end April. The teas from this season have a complex flavor profile. They are minimally processed, and taste floral and fruity.

The summer season follows soon after, going all the way to mid June. This is the peak tea season in both Darjeeling and Assam. It is in the summer that Darjeeling produces the specialty muscatels—teas produced in small volumes, heralded as the ‘champagne’ of teas, and that draw many a connoisseur. The name comes from the muscat grapes, flavors of which are found in these teas.

Autumn, the last main harvest season of the year, brings out the more refined of the Darjeeling teas, understated but interesting with a woody/musky quality to them.

What to expect from a Darjeeling tea?

Traditional Darjeeling tea is black but today, its estates, numbering over 90 and covering over 17,500 hectares, produce greens, whites, and oolongs as well. The best Darjeeling teas are produced at an elevation of 2500-5000 feet, where the air is cold, rainfall is ample, the sun is temperate and the soil is sandy-loamy.

Darjeeling is home to both the traditional chinary plants as well as some novel clones. No matter what type of tea plant, Darjeeling teas are all immensely fragrant, perfumy, and with an enveloping quality to them. They are not overwhelming or imposing but delicate and sweet smelling.

When you buy Darjeeling teas, you’re choosing one of the world’s best teas, one that carries its history easily, and is quite simply a classic.