Darjeeling black tea

You could guess two: spiced Indian chai or dark amber black tea with milk and British biscuits.

Both are great, and we’ve had plenty of them, but I don’t think they’re the most interesting teas from India. To brew a black tea that is both refined, bold, and uniquely distinctive, you must choose Darjeeling.

What’s the deal with Darjeeling, and why is it so prized? It’s a Chinese tea variety grown in India that carries the flavors of muscat grapes and Himalayan air. Its taste is more wine-like than other teas. Even if you don’t like tea, Darjeeling is interesting and worth trying. If you’ve only had blended, flavored, or over-brewed bitter Darjeeling in the past, then there’s still a lot to discover.

What does it taste like?

Darjeeling is often called the “champagne of teas,” with a musky sweetness reminiscent of muscat grapes. But it also has subtle vegetal, mossy, fruity, and citrus notes. Although Darjeeling is an Indian-grown tea (from Darjeeling), its leaves actually come from China. “Most tea plants in Darjeeling are Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, which has smaller leaves, rather than the larger-leaved Assamica variety, which is more common elsewhere in India,” explains Jim Schreiber, Tea & Beverages Operations Manager.

“Although classified as a black tea, Darjeeling tea is almost always less oxidized than typical black teas,” Schreiber says. The unique flavor of Darjeeling comes from the blend of Chinese tea genetics and Indian soil, along with intricate harvesting and processing. It’s lighter and less astringent than most black teas, yet more layered and complex than most green teas.

The flavor of the same Darjeeling tea from the same estate can vary depending on the harvest time. These periodic harvests, called flushes, span the tea plant’s growing season and are punctuated by regular high-altitude rains. From the first flush to the last, the general flavor trend goes from light and delicate to rich and robust. The second flowering of mature plants produces intense grape-like flavors, while the most prized first flush uses the youngest leaves, where you’ll find intriguing, delicate, smooth minty notes and the freshness of mountain air.