Did you know that Darjeeling tea is known as the “champagne of teas”? (doesn’t that sound delicious!) And its one of our favourites - read on to find out why.

 

What is Darjeeling tea?

Darjeeling tea is a well-known tea variety that is exported all over the world. It grows in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. Darjeeling tea is unique because the leaves can be processed in different ways, resulting in black, green, white or oolong tea. Darjeeling black tea has undergone full fermentation, oolongs are semi-fermented, and Darjeeling green tea is not fermented at all.

Darjeeling tea is made from the Chinese variety of the tea plant Camellia sinesis. It is a thin, light-coloured tea with a floral aroma. Darjeeling is best enjoyed during the mid-morning or early afternoon, with a biscuit or a piece of cake. Although very aromatic, Darjeeling teas will lose their aroma when exposed to air for a long time - so make sure you store your Delicate Darjeeling speciality tea in a sealed container (like our Daily Drinker jar) in a dark cupboard.

 

Why is our Delicate Darjeeling special?

Our Delicate Darjeeling speciality tea is a rare and exceptional single-estate, private reserve Darjeeling variety. It comes from the renowned Glenburn Estate, making it the very finest of its kind!

Glenburn is situated high in the Himalayas, where the tea bushes are overlooked by the mighty Kanchenjunga mountain range. The name of the estate resembles almost exactly what is the 750-hectare piece of land - A River Valley. Here in the hills of Darjeeling tea grows beautifully, rising out from the magical landscape that surrounds it. In the peace and tranquillity of Glenburn, a flourishing community of people and tea bushes stand together as they have done for the past 150 years. Glenburn is one of the first tea estates to have come up in 1859 in Darjeeling, owned and lovingly nurtured by the Prakash family, a fourth generation of the family to manage the estate - now famous as the Chaiwala family, for their century-old association with the estate.

The higher altitude at which Darjeeling grows results in a deliciously light, sweet and fresh taste. It is typically taken without milk, making it different from other teas like Assam - this tea comes from a lower altitude, resulting in a malty, brisker taste, and is typically taken with milk.

We only use the highest quality natural ingredients in our tea blends, carefully sourced for the optimum grade and unique flavour profiles. Darjeeling is celebrated for its crisp, golden liquor and smooth, refreshing taste - this is what gives it is nickname, the “champagne of teas”! Darjeeling from Glenburn is particularly rare in the attention of its planting and harvesting, the altitude at which it grows, and its scarcity, particularly in the UK.

 

How to brew your Delicate Darjeeling

In short: use freshly boiled water, at 100°C, and let your tea bag infuse for 3-5 minutes. Simple! If you’d like to know more about how to brew the perfect cup of tea, have a look at our blog post ‘How to Enjoy the Perfect Cup of Tea’, which goes into more detail (it also talks about some of our favourite spots to enjoy a cup of tea!)

Our Delicate Darjeeling speciality tea is best enjoyed straight, in its purest form, due to the nuances of its flavour (so no adding sugar or milk).

 

Our Delicate Darjeeling speciality blend is truly unique. It is an unbelievably delicious, delicate, premium tea, and you won’t find anything like it elsewhere - trust us! Why not give it a try?

 

Written by Olivia Wells

 

If you’d like to read more about about Darjeeling tea:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/tea-flushes-in-darjeeling-765194