When shopping for Darjeeling tea it is critical to know where that Darjeeling tea is grown. That is because the process of making Darjeeling tea, can be applied to tea grown in any country. This is not to say that a Darjeeling style tea from Nepal won't taste good. It just won't have the same complexity as a true Darjeeling.
The Darjeeling region borders Nepal in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains and carries of perfect terroir of high altitude, moderate to cool climate, and rain. Darjeeling tea is from Camellia Sinensis var. Sinensis, not from Cameliia Sinensis Assamica, which is thought of as the traditional Indian tea cultivar. The high altitudes are what allow the Chinese varietal to thrive in India.
On top of being in a distinct region, the Tea Board of India requires registration and monitoring of tea estates in Darjeeling in order to enforce the Geographic Protection given to the region in 2011. Knowing the name of the estate that grew and manufactured the Darjeeling is critical in knowing that the Darjeeling you are drinking is authentic. It is estimated that there are 30,000 more pounds of Darjeeling on the market annually than is produced in the region. This has dropped dramatically, but counterfeit Darjeeling has not been fully eliminated.
Teas Highlighted in the Video:
dominiontea.com/garden-of-dre...
dominiontea.com/1st-flush-dar...
***** Dominion Tea Across the Web *****
Dominion Tea - www.DominionTea.com
Tea Blog - blog.DominionTea.com
Facebook - / dominiontea
Instagram - / dominiontea
Twitter - / dominiontea