Darjeeling

Type:	Black
Other names:	The Champagne of Teas
Origin:	Darjeeling, India
Quick description:	Fruity and spicy.

Darjeeling tea has traditionally been prized above all other black teas, especially in the UK and the countries comprising the former British Empire. It comes from Darjeeling in West Bengal, India. When properly brewed it yields a thin-bodied, light-colored liquor with a floral aroma a tinge of astringent tannic characteristics, and a musky spiciness often referred to by tea connoisseurs as "muscatel." A sweet cooling aftertaste should be felt on the mouth. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 510 pixel Image in higher resolution (1416 × 902 pixel, file size: 274 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Tea Darjeeling tea... Black tea Black tea is more oxidized than the green, oolong and white varieties; all four varieties are made from leaves of Camellia sinensis. ... Champagne is often consumed as part of a celebration Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of wine to effect carbonation. ... Darjeeling (Nepali: , Bangla: দার্জিলিং) is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Black tea Black tea is more oxidized than the green, oolong and white varieties; all four varieties are made from leaves of Camellia sinensis. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Darjeeling (Nepali: , Bangla: দার্জিলিং) is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal. ... West Bengal   (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... An astringent substance is a chemical substance that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. ... Tannins are astringent, bitter-tasting plant polyphenols that bind and precipitate proteins. ... Musk is the name originally given to a perfume obtained originally from the strong-smelling substance secreted by a gland in the abdomen of the male musk deer, and hence applied to other animals, and also to plants, possessing a similar odor. ... For other uses, see muscat. ...

Most Darjeeling teas are made into black teas, however Darjeeling oolong and green teas are becoming more commonly produced and are easier to find. Darjeeling Oolong refers to a lighter than usual Darjeeling black tea which some people refer to as an Oolong. ... Rolled Oolong tea leaves Wuyi Huang Guan Yin tea leaves Wuyi Qi Lan Oolong tea leaves Oolong (Chinese: ; pinyin: wÅ«lóng) is a traditional Chinese type of tea somewhere in between green and black in oxidation. ... Green tea (绿茶) is tea that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. ...

Designation

According to the Tea Board Of India - "Darjeeling Tea" means: tea which has been cultivated, grown, produced, manufactured and processed in tea gardens (current schedule whereof is attached hereto) in the hilly areas of Sadar Sub-Division, only hilly areas of Kalimpong Sub-Division comprising of Samabeong Tea Estate, Ambiok Tea Estate, Mission Hill Tea Estate and Kumai Tea Estate and Kurseong Sub-Division excluding the areas in jurisdiction list 20,21,23,24,29,31 and 33 comprising Subtiguri Sub-Division of New Chumta Tea Estate, Simulbari and Marionbari Tea Estate of Kurseong Police Station in Kurseong Sub-Division of the District of Darjeeling in the State of West Bengal, India. Tea which has been processed and manufactured in a factory located in the aforesaid area. which, when brewed, has a distinctive, naturally occurring aroma and taste with light tea liquour and the infused leaf of which has a distinctive fragrance.

Adulteration and falsification are serious problems in the global tea trade; the amount of tea sold as Darjeeling worldwide every year exceeds 40,000 tonnes, while the annual tea production of Darjeeling itself is estimated at only 10,000 tonnes, including local consumption. To combat this situation, the Tea Board of India administers the Darjeeling certification mark and logo.^[1] Falsification may mean: The act of disproving a proposition, hypothesis, or theory. ... A tonne or metric ton (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

Varieties

• 1st Flush is harvested in mid-March following spring rains, it has a gentle and very light color and aroma.
• 2nd Flush is harvested in June and produces an amber and more astringent cup.
• Autumnal Flush is harvested in the autumn after the rainy season, and has a somewhat less delicate flavour and less spicy tones.

Tea harvested in the summer (or rainy season) is sometimes sold at lower prices.

Estates

There are many tea estates (also call "tea gardens") in Darjeeling, each producing teas with different character in taste and aroma. Some of the popular estates include Arya, Chamong, Lingia, Castleton, Jungpana, Makaibari, Margaret's Hope, and Risheehat. Below is a non-exhaustive list:

• Ambootia
• Arya
• Avongrove
• Balasun
• Bannockburn
• Castleton
• Chamong
• Glenburn
• Goomtee
• Gopaldhara
• Giddapahar
• Happy Valley
• Jogamaya
• Jungpana
• Kaley Valley
• Lingia
• Makaibari
• Margaret's Hope
• Mim
• Moondakotee
• Namring
• Orange Valley
• Phuguri
• Poobong
• Puttabong
• Pussimbing
• Risheehat
• Rohini
• Singbulli
• Soureni
• Sungma
• Thurbo
• Tindharia
• Tongsong Dtriah
• Tumsong

Happy Valley Tea Estate is a tea estate in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Pattabong Tea Garden or Puttabong Tea Garden is a tea-estate in Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India. ...

See also

• Nepal tea

Nepalese tea is very similar to tea from Darjeeling for which it may be mistaken as the main plantations are located very close to Darjeeling. ...

References

1. ^ Gadi Kenny, Trade & Environment Database (TED) Journal, Number 752, July 2004, American University. ([1] accessed on 2007-03-14)

External links

• History of Darjeeling Tea
• List of estates
• Boston Tea Campaign
• Details of all Darjeeling Tea Estates alongwith photographs.
• Darjeeling Tea Estate visit updates
• Chamong Teas