| Darjeeling tea | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Black (green, white and oolong also produced) |
| Origin | India |
| Quick description | Floral, fruit aroma,muscatel |
| Temperature | 90 °C (194 °F) to 95 °C (203 °F) |
| Time | 3 to 4 minutes |
Darjeeling tea is atea made fromCamellia sinensis var. sinensis that is grown and processed inDarjeeling district orKalimpong district inWest Bengal, India. Since 2004, the termDarjeeling tea has been a registeredgeographical indication referring to products produced on certain estates within Darjeeling and Kalimpong. The tea leaves are processed asblack tea, though some estates have expanded their product offerings to include leaves suitable for makinggreen,white, andoolong teas.
The tea leaves are harvested by plucking the plant's top two leaves and the bud, from March to November, a time span that is divided into four flushes. The first flush consists of the first few leaves grown after the plant's winter dormancy and produce a light floral tea with a slightastringency; this flush is also suitable for producing a white tea. Second flush leaves are harvested after the plant has been attacked by aleafhopper and thecamellia tortrix so that the leaves create a tea with a distinctivemuscatel aroma. The warm and wet weather of monsoon flush rapidly produces leaves that are less flavorful and are often used forblending. The autumn flush produces teas similar to, but more muted than, the second flush.
Tea plants were first planted in the Darjeeling region in the mid-1800s. At the time, the British were seeking an alternative supply of tea apart from China and attempted growing the plant in several candidate areas in India. Both the newly discoveredassamica variety and thesinensis variety were planted, but the sloped drainage, cool winters, and cloud cover favouredvar. sinensis. The British established numerous tea plantations, with the majority of workers beingGorkhas andLepchas fromNepal andSikkim. Afterindependence, the estates were all subsequently sold to businesses in India and regulated under thelaws of India. TheSoviet Union replaced the British as the primary consumers of tea from Darjeeling. As Darjeeling tea gained a reputation for its distinctiveness and quality, it was marketed more to Western Europe, with many estates acquiringorganic,biodynamic, andfairtrade certifications and theTea Board of India pursuing authentication and international promotion of Darjeeling teas.
Camellia sinensis was first planted in the Darjeeling area in 1841 byArchibald Campbell who was working for theEast India Company in this jungle-covered, sparsely populated area to develop ahill station for use by the British stationed inKolkata.[1] At the time, the British were seeking a source of tea outside of China and had both recently discovered a second variety of the plant growing in thewilderness ofAssam and smuggled seeds and plantings out of China. The Chinese variety (sinensis) was planted inSaharanpur Botanical Gardens and propagated in other Himalayan gardens where Campbell had acquired seeds fromKumaun viaNathaniel Wallich. While the original plantings succeeded, Campbell moved toLebong where he and several other residents planted a new batch, in 1846, of both varieties (sinensis andassamica).[2] A year after planting the first three Company experimental tea gardens in 1852, at Tukvar, Steinthal and Alubari, they reported having 2,000 tea plants andRobert Fortune was sent to provide an expert opinion on the "suitableness of the climate and soil of the Hills for the cultivation and manufacture of Tea".[3] While both varieties grew, thesinensis variety was flourishing, as it was foundassamica preferred warmer and wetter growing conditions whilesinensis had been selectively cultivated for higher elevations. The first commercial tea gardens were established in 1856 and by 1866 there were 39 tea gardens in Darjeeling,[citation needed] including theMakaibari Tea Estate which had established the region's first processing factory for withering and oxidation, necessary for the product to survive the months long journey down to Kolkata and over to Britain. Success ofassamica at the nearbyDooars-Terai tea gardens led to infrastructure investments that would be extend up theDarjeeling Himalayan hill region, allowing more machinery and supplies to reach the tea gardens.[3] Darjeeling's population had grown from less than a 100 in the 1830s to 95,000 people with 100 tea gardens in 1885, predominantlyIndian Gorkha andLepcha migrants from Nepal andSikkim, as theDarjeeling Himalayan Railway, the use ofsteamships and theSuez Canal reduced shipping times.[4]
After the British nationalized the East India Company, it only ever leased the lands to tea garden owners on a 30-year basis and maintained the practice of permitting only 40% to be used for tea crops, with 40% being left natural and 20% for housing and facilities. FollowingIndian independence in 1947, practices shifted as the British began to sell their stakes in the gardens to Indians and the 1953Tea Act put the tea industry under the regulatory jurisdiction of theTea Board of India. With more area being opened for tea crops at the expense of natural area and the introduction of pesticides and fertilizers, yields increased from 7.8 to 10 million kilograms between 1950 and 1960, though this came at the cost of increased soil instability. Despite a limited exemption for the tea industry the 1973Foreign Exchange Regulations Act the new foreign ownership limitations resulted in Indian nationals becoming majority owners of the Darjeeling tea industry. As theSoviet Union replaced the United Kingdom as India's largest tea customers, Darjeeling gardens were supplemented withassamica plantings to accommodate their preference for that variety.[5]
Production methods again shifted in the 1990s as Western Europe and Japan replaced the collapsed Soviet Union as Darjeeling's principal customers and new garden managers were bringing the principles ofbiodynamic agriculture to their practices. In 1988,Makaibari became the first tea estate in India to attainorganic certification, followed byTumsong, and the first to gainbiodynamic certification, in 1993, followed byAmbootia.[6] Darjeeling could not compete with other tea regions in terms of quantity or price (due to its geographic limitations, remoteness, slower plant growth, inability to mechanize, among other factors) or so it focused onquality. While the certifications provided an indication of a superior product, its practices also helped the gardens cope with erosion, slope instability and soil depletion that had become prevalent with pesticide and artificial fertilizer applications on the rainy hillsides. Yields had reached 14 million kilograms in 1994 but, with organic practices over much of the tea gardens, yields fell to an average of 9 million kilograms[7] in the late-2010s. In pursuit of differentiating Darjeeling tea, the Darjeeling Planter's Association had been established in 1983, to promote the product in other countries. According to estimate byTea Board of India, 7,010,000 kilograms (15,450,000 lb) of Darjeeling tea was produced in 2021; this constitutes about 0.5% of the total 1,343,060,000 kilograms (2.96094×109 lb) produced in India.[8]
In 1983 a logo was created, currently property of theTea Board of India,[9] consisting of the side profile of a woman holding two leaves and a bud. It is registered as a certification trade mark in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Taiwan, as acollective trade mark in the EU[10] and registered internationally in theMadrid system.[11] In 2000, the Tea Board created new licensing requirements for Darjeeling tea exporters, including product authentication and a prohibition on blending, which allowed them to issuecertificates of origin. In 2004, Darjeeling tea becameIndia's first product to receive legalgeographical indication protection under the World Trade Organization'sTRIPS Agreement[12] and in 2011 it was given Protected Geographical Indication status in theEuropean Union.
Environmental factors combined with a history of organized cultivation and processing has created aterroir unique to Darjeeling tea. It has been marketed as the "Champagne of teas"[13] and been subject to undisclosed blending with other teas or purposeful mis-labelling.[14] Relative to other teas, Darjeeling tea is most similar toNepali tea.[15]
Darjeeling tea is grown in theDarjeeling andKalimpong districts, an area bound byNepal to the west,Bhutan to the east andSikkim to the north. TheTea Board of India defines "Darjeeling Tea" as having "been cultivated, grown, produced, manufactured and processed in tea gardens in the hilly areas ofSadar Subdivision, only hilly areas ofKalimpong District..., andKurseong subdivision...of theDistrict of Darjeeling in the State ofWest Bengal, India."[16] The tea gardens are located on the hillsides of theEastern Himalaya, between 600 and 2,000 metres in elevation. Thatphysical geography of theDarjeeling Himalayan hill region, between theHimalayas and theBay of Bengal, results in the land experiencing cool air with dry winter months from November to February followed bymonsoon weather in the summer months between July and September. Thesubtropical andwet temperate forest cover that developed under these conditions left slightly acidic loamy soils with high organic materials. Being on steep slopes, the soil is well-drained and deep enough for long root systems, necessary for anchoring soil on slopes. Being on the sides of the hills, at high elevations where cool dry air interacts with warm moist air, there can be persistent fog or cloud cover during the growing months. These are ideal conditions for theCamellia sinensis sinensis plant which flourishes with well-drained, slightly acidic soils, with periods of dormancy, and limited direct sunlight.[17]
TheCamellia sinensis seeds originally planted came from China but new plantings come predominantly from saplings taken from a fewcultivars, such as Bannockburn 157, Phoobsering 312 and Ambari Vegetative 2, which have been specifically adapted for Darjeeling.[14] The climate creates four distinct periods of cultivation, each of which has unique characteristics. The plants are plucked by hand every five to ten days, most typically of their top two leaves and a bud, however, based on growing conditions and desired product just the bud or the bud and top leaf may sometimes be plucked.
The first pluckings in Spring, generally March into May, are referred to as the first flush. These first leaves following the winter dormancy are the most tender leaves the plant will produce and result in a tea that has a gentle, very light colour and aroma, and a mild astringency (or briskness). The second flush is harvested in May and June, after theEmpoasca andHomona coffearia have attacked the plant, releasing compounds that create a distinctive full-bodiedmuscatel flavour in the tea. The attacks by the leafhopper and moth release defensive chemicals from the plant and naturally begins oxidation process within the leaves. These first two flushes are the most sought after by teaconnoisseurs.[18]
The plant rapidly grows during the monsoon flush from July to September with larger and less flavourful leaves. The persistent rain also results in less complete withering and oxidization during the processing stage. Some estates create green or white teas from these as they demand less withering and no oxidation, however, when completed as black tea this flush is often sold below the cost of production for use in blending and domestic consumption. After the rainy season, the final leaves grown before the plant's winter dormancy are referred to as the autumnal flush. They are harvested in October–November and provides a herbaceous and soft muscatel flavour but with a fuller body and darker colour than previous flushes, and is compared favorably withNepali teas.[4]
With few exceptions, Darjeeling producesblack teas. Each tea estate operates their own equipment so that processing can begin the same day as plucking. The leaves are first brought indoors where they are air blown overnight to dry them sufficiently so that their cells can be ruptured, initiating oxidation, when rolled without breaking the leaf. Darjeeling teas, especially the first flush, tend to be withered longer than other black teas; a hard wither can reduce a leaf's water content by more than half, affectingpolyphenol oxidase activity and leaving a more green appearance.[19] Some tea estates will produce a batch of Darjeelingoolong tea by limiting the amount of oxidation. After rolling, the leaves are left to oxidize on trays before being fired to reduce the moisture level down to approximately 2% and sealing the ruptures which will be reopened with consumer's hot water. The sorting of the dried product according totea leaf grading is completed and shipped toKolkata for auctioning, though many estates sell privately under contracts.[20]
With the exception of the first flush, orthodox (i.e. notcrush, tear, curl) Darjeeling teas are generally prepared in the same manner as other black teas. Tea connoisseurs recommend a water temperature ranging between 90 °C (194 °F) to 95 °C (203 °F) in a single infusion of 3 to 4 minutes, whereas first flushes, like other early spring teas such asJin Jun Mei tea, use water of slightly lower temperature at 85 to 90 °C and an infusion time of 2 to 3 minutes. For every 150 milliliters (2⁄3 cup) of water used, 2 to 3 grams (onetablespoon) of loose leaf tea is added. As Darjeeling teas are low in malt and bitter characteristics and are appreciated for delicate floral and fruit aromas, milk and sweeteners are typically not added. Their hightannin content allows them to be paired well with carbohydrate-rich foods, such as baked goods and pasta.[18]
Darjeeling teas are best known for themuscatel flavour, described as a "musky spiciness",[21] "a uniquemuscat-like fruitiness in aroma and flavour",[22] that develops in the second flush and is present to a lesser degree in the subsequent autumnal flush. While general tea flavours are created bythearubigins andtheaflavins, chemical analysis on Darjeeling teas show their unique muscatel flavour is the result of3,7-dimethyl-1,5,7-octatrien-3-ol and 2,6-dimethyl-3,7-octa-diene-2,6-diol, with other aromatic compounds coming fromlinalool,benzyl alcohol,cis-3-hexenol,α-farnesene, benzyl nitrile,indole,nerolidol andocimene.[2] Otherwise, Darjeeling teas are described as possessing a flowery fragrance and fruity (grapes, plums, apricots, peaches, pineapple, guava, or citrus fruits), flowery and woody aroma notes, and a little more astringency than their Chinese counterparts.[18][4][23]
The Tea Board of India recognises 87 tea estates (also called "tea gardens") as producers of Darjeeling tea. Cumulatively, they cover 17,500 hectares of land. Apart from these estates, a relatively small amount of tea is produced infarm cooperatives but they lack processing and quality control infrastructure.[24] Some of the notable tea estates include:
TheGovernment of West Bengal owns the land on which the estates are located and administer 30 to 90 year leases under theWest Bengal Estates Acquisition Act to companies operating the estates. The West Bengal government is also involved in providing regulatory supervision of numerous aspects of estate operations, including land use and labour agreements. The Darjeeling Tea Association (affiliated with theIndian Tea Association) is thetrade association that represents the tea estates and exporters in business and labour affairs. They jointly negotiate together with the various unions and the government so that workers across numerous tea estates receive the same compensation.
Labour relations are complex as, in addition to the seasonal influx oftemporary workers, the permanent workers can be permanent residents of the estates where, pursuant to thePlantations Labour Act, housing, education, health and other services are provided by the estate, in addition to a base salary. Because the provision of these services are required by law,fair trade organizations, such as theFairtrade International, allow their fair trade premiums be paid to plantation owners, rather than the workers, on condition that the owners can only use the premium to offset some of the costs of providing these services.[25] Studies of this arrangement have suggested that this has negatively affected the livelihoods of labourers, as owners have more than correspondingly reduced their contributions to the required services.[13][26] This also complicates wage negotiations as marginal increases are feared to come at the expense of a loss of social services. However, the low wages contribute to a high rate ofabsenteeism of workers seeking higher paying work elsewhere.[27] The tea estate workers have historically relied on workers coming from Nepal as a source of inexpensive labour. Consequently, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong and their tea estates are populated predominantly byIndian Gorkha people. They have developed a unified ethnic identity and advocated for independence fromWest Bengal. Occasionally, actions of theGorkhaland movement have disrupted operations of the Darjeeling tea estates, such as the 2017bandh.[28]
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Cities, towns and locations inKalimpong District | |
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