Tea 101 - Darjeeling Tea

We are often asked the question, what is Darjeeling tea? Is it a type of tea, or what? Being Darjeeling tea specialists we thought of putting together a small post here that answers the question. Hope it helps. 

The tradition of cold brewing tea is old. It is believed to have originated in Japan, where people just poured cold water over tea in a pitcher that was left to sit for hours in the coolest part of the house. The resultant brew was cool, smooth, full of flavor and very little bitterness.

Darjeeling, the land from where the eponymous tea, famously described as the champagne of teas comes, is situated in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. Ranging from 100-4200 meters this mountainous region borders Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Most of the...

Before the tea is ready for your cup, the leaves go through the following process: plucking, withering, rolling, oxidation, drying and sorting. Plucking is done entirely by women with their hands. It is believed that women nimble and dexterous hands will...

Grading of Darjeeling, like teas from China, can be a bit confusing. It is a bunch of acronyms that take a while getting used to. However, the grade is one among several factors that determine the quality of a tea....

Darjeeling Tea is harvested in four cycles a year, commonly referred to as First Flush, Second Flush, Summer Flush and Autumnal Flush.   First Flush is plucked and produced from March-April. The liquor from the young leaves is light colored...

Darjeeling tea comes from a region of Indian Himalayas and is marked by a taste unique to the terroir. Often described as "champagne of teas," Darjeeling tea has three distinct seasonal characters. The teas produced in spring, also called Darjeeling...

One common question among Darjeeling tea lovers is why does the first flush look so green? Although it is classified as black tea, the appearance of dry Darjeeling first flush tea can make one mistake it for a green tea.

Most of Darjeeling’s popular teas are categorized as first or second flush teas. While the terms sound like part of the tea’s unending and cryptic lexicon, they are actually easy to explain and understand. And for once, this argot is handy when it comes to buying tea.