The King of Teas.Unquestionably the most refined of teas, Darjeeling comes from a region in the Indian (West Bengalese) Himalayas close to the Nepalese border, 7000 ft above sea level.
Originating with the small-time, private, mid-19th century plantations of a British civil surgeon named Dr. Campbell, tea has long since transformed the region into a major economic center, with over 80 running gardens producing over 10 million kgs (over 22 million lbs) of tea on a total area of almost 20,000 hectares (approximately 75 square miles), and employing over 50,000 people on a permanent basis, with a further 15,000 being hired during the plucking season (March – November).
The area's natural climate with its mixture of rainfall, sunshine and rich soil makes for a very distinctive flavor, and to be called "Darjeeling," tea must have been grown and processed in that particular region.
Darjeeling tea comes in several harvest varieties or "flushes": the lighter Easter harvest or first flush, and the stronger Spring harvest or second flush, which has an unmistakeably fruity, Muscatel-like note. (There is also a Summer harvest or third flush, which is even stronger than the tea from the second harvest, but it is somewhat less refined and therefore less popular than the first two varieties.)
For an introduction to the exquisite world of Darjeeling teas, try Twinings', Whittard's, Tazo's or Peet's house blends (see photos and FOP/BOP tea grade examples, above), all of which are second flush teas with a subtle, quintessentially Darjeeling perfume. If you want to splurge, though, you may want to have a look at Peet's Extra Fancy Kalimpong, one of the Darjeelings that Whittard sells in its stores and through its website, Taylors' single-estate Darjeeling (see photo), or any single-estate FTGFOP or SFTGFOP Darjeeling, such as Leaves Pure Teas' exquisite Milikthong Estate Darjeeling FTGFOP 1, or even better their Upper Namring Estate Darjeeling SFTGFOP (photo): teas of the much sought-after, highest whole leaf grades with an exceptionally high content of delicate, quickly-steeping, golden-orange "tips," the very ends of the bud's leaves, which constitute a guarantee of quality. (The higher the content of tips, the higher the quality; and to qualify as FTGFOP or SFTGFOP, a tea must consist almost exclusively of tips.)
Tea from the Bramahputra Valley.With an annual output of more than 1,500,000 lbs., the north-eastern Indian state of Assam – situated across the border from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan – is the world's single largest tea-producing region. Similar to Darjeeling, Assam tea is picked in a first and second harvest or "flush." While leaves from the first flush produce a full, refreshing aroma, Assam tea is particularly known for its malty second flush, whose cream- or gold-colored tips (or even entire leaves) lessen the tea's natural bitterness, thus giving it a softer, gentler note.
Peet's and Whittard's Assams have the region's characteristically malty aroma (Peet's is a golden tip tea), a bit more full-bodied than some of the region's other teas, but very nice, even if nothing for truly special occasions.
Very fine single-estate varieties, however, are Leaves Pure Teas' Budlabeta Estate TGFOP and Majushree Estate FTGFOP, as well as Taylors' Special Rare Tippy Assam, with a rich, powerful aroma, extremely rich content in tips, honey aftertaste (Budlabeta), and very refreshing.
Tea from the "Resplendent Island."On Sri Lanka – which means "Resplendent Island" in Sanskrit – tea has been cultivated since the second half of the 19th century. After in 1869 most of the island's coffee plantations were devastated by a fungus that left the few (at the time, only experimentally planted) tea bushes untouched, a Scotsman named James Taylor, who had acquired some basic knowledge on tea plantation in Northern India, was put in charge of production. Under his shrewd management, output rose from a mere 23 lbs. to 81.3 tons between 1873 and 1880, and further to 22,899.8 tons by 1890.
Most of Sri Lanka's tea plantations are situated at elevations between 3,000 and 8,000 feet in the island's southwestern part, to the east of Colombo and in the south. Although the island changed its official name from the colonial Ceylon (from Selan Dwipa, which possibly means "Island of Gems") to Sri Lanka in 1972, many companies continue to use the old name for its tea (Peet's uses both).
Whittard's and Taylors' Ceylon teas come from one of Sri Lanka's oldest and most distinguished tea growing areas, the Dimbula region on the western slopes of the southern/central mountain range; with plantations from approximately 3,500 to 5,000 feet above sea level. While Taylors' single-estate variety is representative of the area's lighter teas, Whittard's is a blend with a more pronounced aroma. Ceylon teas make for excellent breakfast teas, but also great pick me ups throughout the day.
Themis-Athena's tea guides: Part 1 (The Basics), Part 2 (Individual Teas) and Part 3 (Scented & Herbal Teas)
Themis-Athena's introduction to tea history and grades, and presentation of select teas from China, Japan, Africa and South America, and blended and scented teas.
Themis-Athena's select annotated tea list and bibliography of tea books and accessories
Themis-Athena's guide to European cooking
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