Darjeeling Tea

Darjeeling tea comes from a small area of steep hill slopes in the far north of West Bengal, where thin soil, altitude and near-constant mist produce a leaf quite unlike the strong teas of the plains. It is sold by flush. The first flush, picked in early spring, is pale, brisk and floral. The second flush, from late spring into early summer, is darker and carries the muscatel character the region is known for. Later monsoon and autumn pickings are cheaper and heavier in the cup. Estates around the town run tours through the plucking fields and the withering and rolling sheds, usually ending in a tasting.

What to look for

• The plucking fields - terraced bushes on near-vertical slopes, worked mostly by women with back baskets.
• The factory sheds - withering troughs, rolling machines and drying floors, largely unchanged in decades.
• A flush tasting - first and second flush poured side by side, the only way the difference really lands.
• The hill views - ridges of tea running down towards the plains, with cloud moving through most afternoons.

When to go

Plucking and processing run from March to November, so a factory visit outside that window shows empty machinery. First flush is picked from March and second flush from late May. October and November are the clearest months for views. The monsoon, June to September, brings landslides that regularly close the road up from the plains.

Practical notes

Roads to Darjeeling are slow, narrow and prone to closure, and the town itself is congested and heavily built over. Estate tours are short and sales-led, and much of what is sold locally as Darjeeling is blended or grown elsewhere. Genuine single-estate first flush is expensive. Views disappear behind cloud for days at a stretch.

Nearby

The narrow-gauge hill railway, Ghum and the sunrise viewpoint at Tiger Hill are all close to the town.