Profile : Organic Darjeeling (TGFOP)
Loose - Organic - Estate Tea
March 12, 2019
CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Tippy leaf signifies good manufacturing. Its flavory muscatel character will not disappoint the discerning Darjeeling drinker.
Ingredients: Black tea* *Organic Certified Organic by Pro-Cert Organic Systems
INGREDIENTS FROM: Darjeeling
REGION(S): India
SHIPPING PORT(S): Calcutta
GROWING ALTITUDES: 3500 - 7000 feet above sea level
GRADE(S): TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
MANUFACTURE TYPE(S): Orthodox (Traditional leafy)
ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL: Ultra High
CAFFEINE LEVEL: Medium
VEGETARIAN: Yes
VEGAN: Yes
INFUSION: Bright tending light
INFORMATION:
The
Darjeeling area is India's champagne district. It is located in
northern India at the high altitiude edges of the Himalaya mountains.
The main town is called Darjeeling and from the town center on a clear
day the peak of Mount Everest can be seen. The genus of the Darjeeling
tea bush is the Chinese Jat, which gives it the distinctive muscatel
character. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and in
relatively cool weather the bushes do not grow quickly, and as such the
production is limited. The best time of the year for quality is during
'second-flush' (end May - end June). During this time Darjeelings are
incomparable to any other tea in the world. The fragrance and taste is a
complex bouquet that reaches right out of the cup. Some would describe
the taste as nutty; others find it reminds them of black currants, but
most often it is described as similar to the taste and fragrance of
muscat grapes.
Due to the superb taste and limited production of
Darjeelings, these teas are quite expensive. There are many who wish to
take advantage of the high prices and as a result there are Darjeeling
'blends'. Regrettably these blends are quite often very poor facsimiles
of Darjeeling and in some cases only contain 10% true Darjeeling teas;
the balance made up from other production areas. A true estate
Darjeeling is your guarantee of quality and genuine Darjeeling tea.
There are 3 main times of year for producing good quality Darjeelings:
1st
flush - springtime harvested teas from late Feb. to mid-April. The
young leaves yield a light tea with generally intense muscatel with
'point'. A gentle afternoon tea.
2nd flush - Harvested in June,
these teas are more fully developed. The liquor is bright and the taste
full and round excellent muscatel. A superb afternoon tea that
is especially good with scones and raspberry conserve.
Autumnal - Not
always available depending upon the weather, they are typified by a
round taste and coppery liquor. Excellent as a breakfast tea with milk.