Darjeeling tea

Darjeeling
Type	Usually sold as black
Other names	The Champagne of Teas
Origin	Darjeeling, India
Quick description	Fruity, floral, astringent

Darjeeling tea is a tea from the Darjeeling district in West Bengal, India. It is available in black, green, white and oolong. When properly brewed, it yields a thin-bodied, light-coloured infusion with a floral aroma. The flavour can include a tinge of astringent tannic characteristics and a musky spiciness sometimes described as "muscatel".

Unlike most Indian teas, Darjeeling tea is normally made from the small-leaved Chinese variety of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, rather than the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis var. assamica). Traditionally, Darjeeling tea is made as black tea; however, Darjeeling oolong and green teas are becoming more commonly produced and easier to find, and a growing number of estates are also producing white teas. After the enactment of Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection Act, 1999) in 2003, Darjeeling tea became the first Indian product to receive a GI tag, in 2004-05 through the Indian Patent Office.

Tea planting in the Indian district of Darjeeling began in 1841 by Arthur Campbell, a civil surgeon of the Indian Medical Service. Campbell was transferred to Darjeeling in 1839 from Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1841, he brought seeds of the Chinese tea plant (Camellia sinensis) from Kumaun and began to experiment with tea planting in Darjeeling. The British government also established tea nurseries during that period (1847). Commercial development began during the 1850s. In 1856, the Alubari tea garden was opened by the Kurseong and Darjeeling Tea company, followed by others.

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