Black tea from the famous Darjeeling region of India. This summer harvest tea comes to us from one of our favorites, Puttabong Estate. These tea gardens are some of the highest in the world, at 6000 feet above sea level. At these high altitudes, the tea leaves grow more slowly and have more time to develop their unique Darjeeling flavor. This one has sweet, white grape or dessert wine fragrance, slightly earthy, and smooth, sweet-tangy flavor with a more gentle astringency than typical for these teas.
Darjeeling tea is often called the champagne of teas, and with good reason. Grown and cultivated primarily using “orthodox” methods—methods which require more hands-on work and attention than mechanical means, the primary focus is on quality over quantity, with specific attention being paid to everything from which parts of the tea plants are plucked when, how they are handled, sorting, and even the chemistry within the leaves themselves. Like wine, each year has a distinctive flavor, and in a final comparison, to bear the official “Darjeeling tea” name, the tea can only come from the Darjeeling region of India.
Steeping Instructions: Steep at 212° for 3-5 minutes.
