Description
Darjeeling black tea
Known as the “champagne of teas”.
Indian black tea from Darjeeling province. A summer bud harvest from the traditional Makaibari garden that yields a fine copper-colored liquid with a pronounced floral aroma.
History
Archibald Campbell first planted a plant called Camellia sinensis in the Darjeeling area in 1841. He worked for the East India Company, at a time when the British were looking for another source of tea outside of China. During that period, they smuggled seeds and a plant from China, but also discovered another variety of plant growing in the wildernes of Assam.
The Chinese variety (Camellia sinesis var. sinensis) is planted in the Himalayan botanical gardens (initially only in a few). While he later planted a new batch of both varieties in another garden (Camellia sinesis var. sinensis and Camellia sinensis var. assamica)
Both varieties grew, but still the sinesis flourished over the assamese. Because assamica has been found to prefer warmer and wetter growing conditions. While on the other hand sinensis thrives at higher altitudes.
The first commercial tea gardens were established in 1856 and by 1866 there were 39 tea gardens in Darjeeling, including the Makaibari Tea Estate which established the region’s first processing plant for drying and oxidation.
- Country of origin: India
- Cultivation area: Kurseong
- Harvest period: May-July
PREPARATION
3 g (cca. flat tablespoon)
95ºC
2-3min
