Green Darjeeling. This light green infusion is often referred to as tea champagne.
It has a rather high price, which, however, is justified by the unique taste of the drink.
In this article, you will find a description of Indian Darjeeling tea and find out what it is and how to brew it correctly.
Where it grows
The highest quality tea varieties in India are grown on high-altitude plantations.
The area in which this type of tea grows is located in the north-eastern part of the country, on the border with Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.
The name darjeeling came from Tibetan: dorje & ndash; lightning of enlightenment, unbreakable firmness and divine earth.
Mountainous terrain, slopes, good location under the sun, mild weather changes, partly cloudy, periodic showers & ndash; all this favorably affects the state of the root system of the bushes.
Darjeeling harvests more than 10,000,000 kg of leaves per year (1% of the total tea products shipped from India).
The territory is divided into seven main valleys, where 87 plantations are spread over 19,000 hectares. Each has its own history and has an English, Nepali or Indian name.
Traditionally, the owners of these lands live right in the mountains, and hired peasants are engaged in harvesting & ndash; residents of a nearby village.
A little history
The birthplace of darjeeling tea & ndash; in western Bengal (southeastern India at the foot of the Himalayan mountain ranges).
In 1835, Dr. A. Campbell constantly experimented, trying to plant tea seeds, and in 1847 the bushes began to be grown for sale.
The first gardens in the area were Makaibari and Alubari, planted by English enthusiasts, and by 1866 there were already 39 properties in the district: English entrepreneurs found that darjeeling & ndash production; a profitable business.
Harvesting was always done manually. This tradition is still observed.
Engineer Dublew O & rsquo; Brian Ensel brought this variety to the highest quality.
For the first time in India, he used a special mechanism for twisting and sorting leaves, also developed a local hydroelectric system and was the project manager for setting up turbines on plantations.
Thanks to this, by 1872 the very drink that is popular today appeared. At the end of the 19th century, it gained recognition in most London salons.
After the fall of the colonial system in 1947 g. British planters, who were then about 90%, began to hastily get rid of Indian possessions.
Production passed into the hands of inexperienced Indians, who sought to improve the old standards and resume tea supplies.
The most famous among such figures were C Dublew Emmett and TJ Gardingham, who again literally raised darjeeling tea to the highest level of quality.
By 1980, the popularity of this drink in the world had fallen. It was replaced by Chinese varieties, which took a confident position in the global market.
Many plantation owners have gone bankrupt and their gardens have ceased to function.
Those who survived this difficult period were the winners: in the 1990s, people again started talking about the taste characteristics of tea leaves from northeast India.
Currently, approximately 70% of plantations have an international status of Organic, which confirms their refusal to use chemicals and pesticides as fertilizers.
The ecological properties of tea from this mountain valley are recognized by reputable institutes Demeter's certification (Germany), IMO (Switzerland).
Darjeeling is most adored by the British & ndash; true tea party connoisseurs. The British have spawned the tradition of drinking an infusion of milk, revealing in full the luxurious, velvet taste.
How darjeeling tea is produced
The value of this drink is comparable to expensive collectible champagne. Only local tea leaves are characterized by an intoxicating nutmeg aroma, which is formed due to several factors: the special properties of the soil, the microclimate and the painstaking work of Indian workers.
The final taste, aroma, and color of the product depend on the place and time of harvest, manufacturing technology.
Growing and processing
Chinese camellia bushes are used to create this tea, which already distinguishes Darjeeling from the rest of the Indian and Ceylon bushes (most of them are of Assamese origin).
Leaflets are harvested by hand, separating from the branches only the upper parts of young shoots with two leaves and a kidney. & nbsp; Such carefully selected raw materials are called & laquo; flushes & raquo;.
It is no coincidence that darjeeling is such an expensive product: one hectare of land produces only 500 kg of tea, which is almost 3 times less than other tea varieties.
Rolling terrain makes manual labor even harder, longer.
Plantations tend to employ women.
About 150,000 people are employed every season.
Collection seasons
Harvest over multiple periods:
- Early spring (late February, March, April). The very first raw material that is in great demand. Spring tea has a soft, fresh aroma and a light color of infusion. It is a rare and expensive product that also has a short shelf life and quickly loses its qualities.
- In May-June. Such an infusion is more viscous, strong, and its shade varies from amber to reddish. You can store it longer, and the taste is more pronounced muscat notes.
- In the fall. Leaves collected in October-November are larger. The late-harvest product is far less refined than the first options. The taste is spicy, and the color of the infusion is close to copper.
- No collection in winter.
Processing and manufacturing steps
Once harvested, it is withered, twisted, and fermented.
The last process is the main one.
It is at this moment that dry leaves are filled with aromatic properties. But this only applies to Darjeeling black tea.
Darjeeling green tea does not participate in fermentation: oxidation of withered leaves is stopped by drying and roasting.
Dislocation occurs as follows: the raw materials are evenly laid out on the gutters and are exposed to hot and cold air streams at certain intervals.
Moisture leaves the leaflets very slowly (within 14-16 hours).
There are two ways to twist raw materials: manual and factory. In the second case, instead of the labor of hired workers, automatic rollers are used, and the tea is dried not in concave pans, but in the oven.
It is important to carefully monitor this process so that the sheet structure is not damaged by overheating.
Next, a thin layer of future tea is laid out in a cool, moist room, where for 2-4 hours it ferments and accumulates its unique taste. Then specialists place the leaves in the dryer for 20-30 minutes & ndash; this is the firing step that gives the cups their final appearance.
Plantations & ndash; tea gardens
Only certified Indian farms can distribute Darjeeling branded products.
There are several varieties of tea related to the growing area:
- Badamtam & ndash; plantings that have existed for 150 years. Here a clear honey-amber drink is born with a rich, slightly tart taste and a sweet nutmeg aftertaste.
- Puttabong & ndash; the area where the golden amber infusion with fruit notes is obtained.
- Nepal Darjeeling has even deeper flavor profiles.
There are several dozen gardens in the mountains. Depending on the microclimate and the height of the location, tea leaves acquire certain qualities.
Grades
Darjeeling is classified by harvest time as well as raw material quality.
An experienced taster is able to recognize the specific garden, weather conditions at the time of plucking bushes and the nuances of production, because all this directly affects the taste data of the product.
Spring
Around the end of February, the "Bangkhi" period begins: plantations are affected by the northwest winds, and massive storm clouds hang over the valley hills.
These are harbingers of the onset of the first wave of camellia shoot germination. This phase lasts until mid-April.
Tea leaves collected in early spring are filled with a delicate peach taste.
A fresh, invigorating drink resembles green tea. The color of the finished infusion is translucent.
This variety is especially appreciated among fans of Indian varieties, but it is very difficult to find it in Russia.
Summer muscle
In summer, the valley is filled with life: everything around blooms, animals, insects, birds awaken. In May comes the second wave of growth, which will end in June.
The infusion of raw materials obtained at this time acquires a grape aftertaste and a spicy aroma. This is the very taste of champagne by which darjeeling is recognized all over the world. The sheet itself is maroon.
Autumn
Next comes the rainy season, which lasts until mid-September. During this period, tea is not produced: bushes are filled with life-giving moisture in order to start giving birth to cherished shoots again in November.
The sheets of the third wave are much richer than the previous ones, and the drink from them is stronger. As a rule, they are not infused in their pure form, but are added to packaged products or mixtures.
Darjeeling grades are classified as follows:
- Top & ndash; whole leaf tea collected exclusively from the top of the camellia.
- First & ndash; & laquo; tops & raquo; also go to its production, but damaged, which is why the value of the leaves and the infusion itself falls.
- Second & ndash; tea crumbs that are packaged in brewing bags.
Composition
The most valuable elements contained in the drink are considered catechins. They have an antioxidant, protective effect.
Caffeine gives the infusion tonic properties. It is absorbed longer and is more slowly excreted from the body than the one contained in coffee. So, a cup of strong darjeeling in the morning will become a source of vigor for almost the whole day.
Other useful properties
- normalizes metabolism;
- has a preventive effect, warns oncology;
- cleans slags and toxins;
- slows down aging;
- strengthens the immune system;
- neutralize causative agents of eye, skin, intestinal infections;
- intensive infusion will help with poisoning or diarrhea.
How to brew Indian darjeeling tea
In order for the taste of tea leaves to reveal as fully as possible, it is important to follow all the rules for their infusion. A ceramic, porcelain or glass kettle is suitable as a container.
Water is preferably clean, spring. As a last resort, & ndash; purified filtered. It must be brought to a boil and cooled to 90-95 & deg; C.
Before brewing, the dishes are heated with boiling water. Then, the brew is poured into a warm vessel in the proportion of one teaspoon per 150 & ndash; 200 ml. It takes about 3 minutes to insist.
Within half an hour, you can cook the same leaves 3-4 more times.
Selection considerations
The popularity of such an expensive drink has a downside.
The great demand for products among connoisseurs gives rise to many unscrupulous manufacturers who seek to fake a product or sell low-grade goods under the guise of darjeeling.
Especially for fight against fakes in 1983 by the association of planters registered a special logo & ndash; a kind of quality mark.
And already in 2000, pure darjeeling tea (which means & laquo; pure tea & raquo;) became a certified trademark, which is assigned only if the product meets a number of criteria.
To buy a truly decent infusion, find a branded logo on the package. It will guarantee that the leaves of the camellia were collected in that very northeastern mountain valley.
The high cost of a product consists of the following factors:
- Rare. This variety accounts for only 1% of the total Indian tea production.
- Collection effort. The entire crop is harvested by hand, and the rugged hilly terrain slows down the work of women on plantations. Moreover, the size of the tea is much smaller than those that grow in other areas. the leaf growing here is much smaller in weight and size than tea from other regions.
- Strict manufacturing steps. They were developed back in the 19th century and require a huge amount of time and energy from workers.
Brands and Manufacturers
Finding quality products is difficult. But, fortunately, you can contact the & laquo; Russian Tea Company & raquo; for products. Here you will find high-quality products of various types:
- & laquo; Nepal & raquo;.
- & laquo; Balasun & raquo;.
- & laquo; Cape of Hope & raquo;.
- № 28.
& laquo; Russian Tea Company & raquo; is the market leader and receives the highest ratings in the professional environment every year.
More than 150 awards, title & laquo; Best Brand of Russia & raquo;, winner of the National Business Prize & laquo; Company of the Year 2013 & raquo; & ndash; it's all about us. Order darjeeling tea on our website and be sure of the quality of your purchase.
How to store darjeeling tea
Like many other Indian varieties, this species is extremely susceptible to external conditions. It quickly absorbs foreign odors, loses useful properties under the influence of the sun and moisture.
It is best to store it in vacuum packaging: in sealed glass or ceramic containers. The temperature must be maintained between + 5 & deg; C and + 10 & deg; C (preferably kept in a refrigerator).
As a rule, the shelf life of a product cannot exceed two years. After this time, the teapots will simply lose their entire bouquet. This does not apply to vintage fall products that are more durable and can last longer without losing their saturated qualities.
Conclusion
It doesn't matter what kind of elite tea from the Darjeeling region you choose & ndash; green spring or saturated autumn & ndash; its taste characteristics will surely surprise you.
Nature itself made sure that the infusion of leaves collected in the highlands of India became famous all over the world.
Try it by ordering from the & laquo; Russian Tea Company & raquo;, and you can never forget these bright shades of taste.
Just one cup a day will give you a cheerful mood, clarify thoughts and have a beneficial effect on your overall well-being.