Know About The Famous and Exclusive Darjeeling Teas

It is very important to know your teas, especially Darjeeling teas. You cannot just pick up any tea, prepare it and done… you drink your tea! To enjoy each sip of your brew, what better in India than Darjeeling teas.

Know about the ‘flush’… this is the most important aspect you should know about Darjeeling teas.   

Buy teas here.  

About Darjeeling ‘Flush’

Darjeeling is a town and municipality in West Bengal, India. It is the only place that produces 1% of India’s total tea output. The famous and exclusive Darjeeling teas are harvested and classified as ‘flush’. 

-   First Flush (the best taste) is picking of brand new two leaves and a bud in the earliest spring growth of the plant, between February and April. These early leaves are more light, floral, fresh, brisk, and astringent in flavor. It is the most prized and most expensive than other flushes. Tea connoisseurs consider the first harvest to be the “champagne” of teas.

-   Second Flush is picked around end April to May/June. It yields larger, more mature leaves with a purplish hue and silver tips or leaf buds. Teas from second flush are known for their full-bodied, muscatel, and fruity flavor.

-   Monsoon Flush is between June/July and October. It yields large leaves that brew into a stronger color and bolder flavor that is less complex the first or second flush. Teas from monsoon flush are more often used for iced teas and commercial tea-bag tea production.

-   Autumnal Flush is between October and November. It yields a finished tea with a rich copper-colored liquor that can be described as rich, full, nutty, and smooth in flavor.

The teas sold here are mostly of ‘second flush’.

While proceeding further, here is a word or two about Orange Pekoe.  

PEKOE is (most likely) derived from PEK-HO, a Chinese word that means silver hairs on the leave of certain types of tea bush. ORANGE might have come from the association with the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau, and was used by Dutch East India Company to market their tea brought to Europe.

How to steep tea?

This is a common question asked by many who are first-timers to preparing teas without milk and sugar.

Tea steeping takes patience and the right boil in water. As a first-timer, you may find it time-consuming and painstaking. But believe me, if you want to derive the health benefits of any tea (without milk and sugar), the time given by you would be worth each cup of tea you would steep! 

-   Bring water to boil (unless you’re making green or 100% white tea where the water should not be boiled fully).

-   Take 1 tsp of loose tea leaves/herbal tea leaves, put inside an infuser, and place this infuser in a teapot. Alternatively, if you are using tea bags, put 1 tea bag in the teapot (for one person). Remember that your cup of tea should be about 170-175 ml.   

-   Pour boiled water in the teapot, cover it and allow it to infuse. Different types of tea take different infusion time. You need to experiment with it BUT REMEMBER, your tea would turn bitter if you steep it for long.

For your ready help, the steeping time for teas would be:

-   loose leaves of white tea take 2-3 minutes/tea bag takes 30-60 seconds

-   loose leaves of green tea take 2-4 minutes/tea bag takes 1-3 minutes

-   loose leaves of oolong tea take 5-7 minutes/ tea bag takes 3-5 minutes   

-   loose leaves of black tea take 3-5 minutes/tea bag takes 3-5 minutes

-   loose leaves or herbal combos of herbal tea take 5-7 minutes/tea bag takes 5-7 minutes

-   After the stipulated time of steeping, remove the infuser/tea bag, pour in a cup, and your delicious sip is ready!

The teas sold here are mostly of ‘second flush’.

NOTE: If you do not have an infuser, put loose tea leaves in the teapot.

CAUTION: Please do not put tea leaves directly in the cup, add water and drink it. You will not get any benefit out of it.

REMEMBER: When you are drinking such beneficial-to-health teas, refrain yourself from drinking the general milk-sugar boiled tea.