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What's all the fuss about Darjeeling? PDF Print E-mail

  



Much like fine wine, whose distinctions are outlined by its heritage based on the plantation regions, fermentation processes, and weather conditions - so does tea separate into categories of taste, character and prestige established by its centuries old heritage.

Among teas cultivated by today’s largest tea grower in the world - courtesy of India’s ecology producing over 800 million kilograms of tea per year - Darjeeling teas have become the most celebrated.
This tea’s distinctive excellence is founded on solid reasons even a novice to this ancient beverage can appreciate:

Darjeeling is a small region surrounded by the Himalayan mountains located in the Indian state of West Bengal.
While there are hundreds of commercial tea gardens in popular regions of India, teas from Darjeeling are harvested from a mere 86 plantations covering approximately 17,000 hectares which produce an average of 11.5 million kilograms of tea per year. About nine million kilograms of Darjeeling tea is then exported to various countries including the U.S., U.K, Germany, Japan and other E.U. countries including France.

Tea bushes of Darjeeling are unique to this region. They have evolved over the last 150 years to become singular in their ability of producing tea leaves in high elevations at far cooler climates than more conventional tea bushes which flourish in tropical settings.

The high elevation and cold temperatures drastically reduce harvest seasons, which adds to the rarity of teas from Darjeeling. The actual harvest seasons provide a challenge since tea bushes of Darjeeling grow on steep mountain sides which are more difficult to maneuver.

Aside from technical obstacles dictated by nature which make these teas a rarity, teas from Darjeeling are distinguished by their natural quality and flavor. The leaves, which are generally smaller and more concentrated in their composition, produce a distinctive floral aroma and contain malty characteristics which are much favored by tea connoisseurs worldwide for well over a century.

The distinguished reputation and rarity of Darjeeling teas have caused consumers to become very susceptible to deception since today the vast majority of Darjeeling teas are in fact not originated from Darjeeling but simply labeled Darjeeling in order to profit from the highly valued tea.

In an attempt to curb the sale of falsely labeled Darjeeling tea, the Indian Government established the Tea Board India in their Tea Act in 1953. The Tea Board India is administratively under the control of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India and vested with the authority to administer all stages of tea cultivation, processing and sale in the tea industry. In close cooperation with the Darjeeling Planter’s Association, which are the sole producers forum for Darjeeling tea, it strives to limit faux Darjeeling tea sales by certifying exports of Darjeeling tea.

In order to ensure the tea sold is in fact an authentic Darjeeling product, simply look for the Darjeeling logo created by the Tea Board India in 1983. Since its creation, it was registered in various jurisdictions including the U.S., UK, Canada, Japan and various European countries as a Certification Trade Mark.

As recently as in 2000, the statutorily compulsory system of certifying the authenticity of  Darjeeling tea exports was put in place. The system requires all dealers of Darjeeling teas to enter into a license agreement with the Tea Board India. According to records, over 171 companies involved in the trade of Darjeeling teas had registered with the Tea Board India. About 74 of them were producing companies, and some 97 were exporters of Darjeeling teas. For trading companies the Tea Board India issued Certificates of Origin. The Darjeeling Logo should thus ensure consumers that 100 percent of their tea is in fact an authentic Darjeeling harvest.
 
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