Darjeeling’s unique terroir. Darjeeling is an exclusive tea—no other tea on earth comes from the combination of geography and climate with which Darjeeling is blessed. A well-drained, slightly acidic, thin, gritty soil anchors tea bushes to the steep pitch of Darjeeling’s valley inclines. In gardens that range from 1,800 to 6,300 feet, these high elevations offer thin cool air that slows the maturation of the leaves, yielding harvests of less than half the yield of leaf tea grown in lower elevations in hotter weather. Higher up in Darjeeling the steeply planted slopes are angled sixty to seventy degrees, making the task of planting and picking difficult. Brewed Darjeeling tea is golden amber in color, with a delicate, flowery flavor that has been likened to the sweetness of apricots and peaches. The finished result is a leaf that is stylish, long, and slender, with a significant amount of golden tip.
Many Darjeeling tea gardens cultivate both the China bush and India bush varieties of Camellia sinensis, but the proportion of each varies. Many growers argue that the finest tea and the best flavor come from the China bushes, which have acclimated to the high elevation and rugged climate. China bush is smaller than the Assam bush, and it produces a smaller quantity of thinner, more delicate leaves. The size of the tea leaves determines the volume of leaf that it will take to produce a pound of tea. For example, a pound of freshly picked buds is denser and more compact than a pound of the bulkier, freshly picked first leaf. It takes approximately twice as much China bush leaf to equal the same weight of India bush leaf. Not than anyone is counting, but a pound of Darjeeling tea is comprised of more than ten thousand individual tea shoots. It is common in Darjeeling for each tea bush to only yield three to four ounces of finished tea each year.
This comparatively small fraction of the annual yield results in higher labor costs per pound. This is true for China bush tea all over the world, but Darjeeling is one of the more extreme examples because of the restrictions of terrain and altitude. Some Darjeeling tea estates at lower elevations grow Assam bush for its luxurious and abundant habit. Because it is hardy and prolific, many newer gardens are being replanted with Assam bush.
Although Darjeeling is unable to compete with the quantity of tea produced in warmer and more fertile parts of India and other tea-producing regions of the world, Darjeeling gracefully pursues its role as the grower of super-premium desirable tea. Weighing in at only about one-fortieth the volume of tea produced in Assam, Darjeeling tea growers have the time to finesse the flavor and fuss with the withering and oxidation process. Each batch of fresh leaf that comes to the tea factory is processed using intricate variation to the basic technique that takes into account the weather conditions over the season and the condition of the plucked leaf. Because each day’s plucking comes from a different section of the garden, each lot is marked and packaged as a separate “invoice.” Each invoice represents the individual personality of the particular batch of tea, something unique that cannot be duplicated from one day to the next.
Darjeeling tea is completely handpicked by women, whose brightly colored saris and other clothing bring splashes of color to the tea gardens. Men traditionally work in the tea factories, processing the fresh leaf, and weighing and packing the finished tea. Close to 67,000 workers are employed on a year-round and seasonal basis in Darjeeling. Most of the workers are female, and usually entire families are employed. Each estate has its own tea-processing factory, and many estates produce certified organic tea or practice environmentally friendly growing techniques. Today new tea bushes are no longer planted from seed, although many old tea bushes originally planted from seed still thrive. Nurseries on the estates propagate tea bushes from grafts or clonal varieties, which are more tolerant to variations in weather. It is not unusual in Darjeeling to see tea trees started from seed that are more than seventy years old. Many of the tea estates in Darjeeling have begun utilizing ecological farming methods that are based on Rudolph Steiner’s biodynamic principles. This means that they have cast aside the use of artificial pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in favor of using local plants for pest control and readily available, natural fertilizers, such as cow manure, to enrich the soil. The result is less yield per plant but better-tasting tea.
Seasonal flushes. Darjeeling has a clearly delineated seasonal cycle that brings the forces of nature to bear on its tea bushes and gardens. The high altitude of this region brings severe winter weather and many months of dormancy to the bushes. When the last vestige of winter is shrugged off with the arrival of spring rains, the bushes are stimulated to flush with tender, new leaves in February or early March. Connoisseurs worldwide await these fresh, flavorsome Darjeeling teas with anticipation. Picking begins with a fine plucking of two leaves and a bud. The early spring teas are also known as first-flush tea, and they are light, clear, aromatic, and brisk in flavor. First-flush Darjeelings are produced until mid-April, and each bush in the gardens is picked every four to seven days.
In May the second flush is ready for picking and is also given a fine plucking. This leaf is larger in size and more mature, thus less tender. At this stage the tea releases the “muscatel,” the dry, currant flavor for which Darjeeling teas are famous. The onset of summer brings the monsoon season to Darjeeling, which lasts from the end of June until October. Tea is still picked during this season, and it is known as the monsoon flush. Hot weather and drenching rains yield large leaves that brew strong flavors, deep red in color but less distinctive overall in flavor nuance. Most monsoon teas are given a coarse plucking, and the tea is sold as nonestate-specific generic Darjeeling.
Lastly, the autumnal flush is ready for picking from October into November. This is the last and final pluck of the season. Autumnal tea is rich and smooth, coppery in color, and round and soft in the mouth. We are often asked which is better, a first- or a second-flush Darjeeling. Truthfully, both are delicious. Each flush represents the unique seasonal effects on leaf style and flavor that occur as the tea season progresses and the leaves mature. Each is unrivaled, and the decision is up to each tea drinker to decide which is preferred—the fresh exuberance of spring tea or the assertive increase of stronger, more forthright flavor.
DARJEELING ESTATES BY VALLEY
Darjeeling East. Arya, Chongtong, Dooteriah, Kalej Valley, Lingia, Marybong, Mim, Orange Valley, Pussimbing, Risheehat, Rungmook & Cedars, and Tumsong.
Darjeeling West. Badamtam, Bannockburn, Barnesbeg, Ging, Happy Valley, North Tukvar, Pandam, Phoobsering, Rangaroon, Rungneet, Singtom, Tukvar, and Vah Tukvar.
Kurseong North. Ambootia, Balasun, Dilaram, Margaret’s Hope, Moondakotee, Oaks, Ringtong, Singell, and Springside.
Kurseong South. Castleton, Gidhapahar, Goomtee, Jogmaya, Jungpana, Longview, Mahalderam, Makaibari, Monteviot, Nurbong, Selim Hill, Seepoydhura, Sivitar, and Tindharia.
Mirik. Gayabari, Gopaldhara, Okayti, Phuguri, Seeyok, Singbulli, Soureni, and Thurbo.
Rungbong Valley. Avongrove, Chamong, Dhajea, Nagri, Nagri Farm, Selimbong, and Sungma.
Teesta Valley. Ambiok, Gielle, Glenburn, Kumai (Snowview), Lopchu, Mission Hill, Namring, Runglee Rungliot, Samabeong, Soom, Teesta Valley, and Tukdah.
NILGIRI: THE SOUTHERNMOST TEA GROWN IN INDIA
High in the lush forests and jungles of the Nilgiri (Blue Hill) Mountains in southern India, Nilgiri tea grows on a spectacular series of high altitude ridges that occupy the western portion of the state of Tamil Nadu. Here, inland from the Malabar coast, the Nilgiri range spills over into the Wynaad region of the neighboring state of Kerala, the point at which the Nilgiris meet the magnificent Western Ghat Mountains. The Nilgiris provide a sweep of elevations that rise from undulating foothills to elevations of 8,202 feet atop the highest peaks. This geographic area is only thirty-five miles long and twenty miles wide, but has 148,263 acres of tea tucked into every hill and valley. This region offers the perfect climate and topography for tea bushes to thrive—lush forests, tropical jungles, misty valleys, sunny high plateaus, gentle grasslands, and numerous streams and rivers.
Two n
ational parks have been created to protect the ecology of the Nilgiris—Mudumalai National Park and Mukurthi National Park. Together, in 1986, these two parks joined with four other natural reserves to form the nucleus of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the largest of its type in India. Elephants, tigers, wild boar, panthers, and black-faced langur are among the inhabitants that share this oasis with the local residents. The rarest animal, the endangered goatlike Nilgiri tahr, is depicted along with the outline of the Blue Mountains and two leaves and a bud silhouette in the Nilgiri Planters Association logo. An Englishman named Mann is said to have been the first to plant China jat (tea planters’ term for the China bush subdivision of Camellia sinensis) in a Nilgiri experimental tea garden in 1835. The seed had literally been sewn for the English to commercially develop tea in these parts, but the Opium War stayed their interest until 1859, when the conflict was over. Both English and Scottish planters are responsible for developing the tea industry in Nilgiri, and today such estate names as Burnside and Glendale coexist alongside such names as Korakundah and Kairbetta. One of the first and therefore oldest tea estates from 1859 is Thiashola, which is still in production today and acquired organic certification in 2003. More than twenty thousand small landowners and a handful of large estates located in six districts—Coonor, Gudalur, Kothagiri, Kundah, Panthalur, and Udhagamandalam—contribute to the production of Nilgiri tea. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led to India’s independence from British rule in 1947, and now the majority of tea estates are privately owned.
Nilgiri teas. Two monsoons a year—the southwest and the northeast—give the bushes distinct wet and dry seasons. Each season imparts distinct flavor characteristics to the tea. The tropical climate is similar to that of neighboring Sri Lanka, yielding teas that are more similar in flavor to Ceylon teas than to the Assam or Darjeeling teas from northern India. Plucking occurs all year long, but the prime season is from December through March, when the bushes flush with energy and send out an abundance of new leaves. Tea from this season is called frost tea, because of the very real threat of frost that hovers over the valleys during this time. While this very chilly weather has a magical effect on the resultant flavor of the tea, if temperatures fall low enough to bring on an actual frost, then the growers suffer damage and crop loss to frostbite. The first flush or spring plucking accounts for approximately 25 percent of the annual crop. The second flush or winter plucking contributes 40 percent of the crop. In total, Nilgiri produces close to 200,000 metric tons of tea, which accounts for 25 percent of India’s total tea production.
Nilgiri teas are known as “the fragrant ones” and have fine flavory liquors with pronounced flavor. The teas are bright and dependable and offer something of value in iced-tea blends—the teas do not “cloud” but instead retain a stable, vivid color when iced. Although exceptional orthodox teas are made in this region, most Nilgiri tea is CTC black tea, much of which is consumed locally and purchased by foreign tea companies to add its special, characteristic flavor to spiced chai tea blends. Nearly 50 percent of Nilgiri tea production is exported to the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) from the tea auction center in Coimbatore.
A beautiful landscape of rolling hills (known as the Blue Mountains) are located in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Here, Nilgiri tea flourishes and is able to be harvested almost year-round due to the mild climate (Nilgiri, India). Photo courtesy of Eliot Jordan.
Nilgiri tea is not as well known as its famous tea cousins from Assam and Darjeeling. The case for quality Nilgiri teas has not been firmly established. Recent shifts in the global economy are changing the sales opportunities for Nilgiri teas. Where Nilgiri once maintained a market lead, CTC black teas from such tea-producing countries as Argentina and Vietnam are now flooding the market and driving down prices, a double strike that is affecting Nilgiri’s market share and selling price.
Because an ideal climate allows year-round plucking and processing, Nilgiri allows for a high-yielding crop, producing more tea than the low-yielding areas like Darjeeling. With a worldwide glut of CTC tea, this is not to Nilgiri’s advantage. But this situation is starting to turn around as the growers are addressing this question of quality. As was proven when the Sri Lankan tea industry reinvented itself after privatization in 1992 and returned to an emphasis on orthodox tea production, there will always be an ever-growing need in the specialty tea industry for distinguished orthodox leaf. Many Nilgiri producers are committed to producing organic teas and are choosing to single themselves out to the Western market in this way.
The largest tea cooperative in India is named the Indcoserve, located in Coonoor, Nilgiri. Started in 1958, the cooperative supports fifteen member tea factories that process fresh leaf for approximately 20,000 small holder tea growers who farm nearly 32,000 acres of land. It is rare to come across a single-estate Nilgiri tea for sale. But if the opportunity arises, look for fine quality orthodox tea from the following estates: Allada Valley, Beeyu, Burnside, Chamraj, Coonoor, Craigmore, Dunsandle, Glendale, Glenmorgan, Havukal, Kairbetta, Korakundah, Mailoor, Nonsuch, Parkside, Quinshola, Thiashola, Welbeck, and Yellapatty.
NILGIRI TEA AT THE FIRST-EVER AMERICAN TEA AUCTION
In spring 2006 a rare opportunity was presented to the tea buyers attending the World Tea Expo, a trade show devoted to all things tea. The Nilgiri Planters Association in conjunction with twelve member estates conducted the first-ever tea auction on American soil. All the buyers who registered to attend the auction received in advance a sample kit of the teas that would be up for sale. By auction time the event was certainly the buzz of the expo.
The auction was a smashing success. In most cases buyers paid over the value that the growers had hoped to receive for their teas, and all of the tea was purchased. We quickly snapped up six tasty lots for our customers. The auction proved two things: first, that specialty tea buyers will reward the efforts of those who manufacture quality leaf, and second, that these exquisite teas demonstrate that the Nilgiri producers have the ability to match the proficiency and technical skills of top black tea producers anywhere.
The Nilgiri Planters Association. Established in 1891, the NPA works with large tea gardens and tea factories to help the thirty-six member estates maintain their tea at a high level of quality while following ethical, social, and environmental practices. Members of the NPA manufacture their fresh leaf in the twenty-five member-owned tea factories. The NPA tests new clonal varieties of tea bushes and believes that specialty teas, not filler teas, are the way to increase both the market share and the value of tea. Growers and producers are thus being encouraged to bring new types of fancy teas to market, such as white tea, silver tips, and golden tips. These self-drinking teas of single-origin distinction appeal to tea enthusiasts, tea salons, and fine dining restaurants. Many orthodox Nilgiri teas have the body and finesse of mid-level Darjeeling teas, while others are stronger in body. All have fine, delicate aromas and fruity and woodsy flavors that become even more striking because of the lack of tannins or astringency in the cup. Nilgiri winter-picked teas, called frost teas, are particularly unique and flavorsome.
Orthodox tea production and grading. It is twice more costly to produce orthodox leaf than CTC leaf because it is a more time-consuming production process. Many steps are necessary to make a fine orthodox black tea. The subtle nuances of flavor and the distinctive quality of the tea are coaxed out of the leaf during a labor-intensive rolling process. During rolling, the still moist leaves are placed into a rotary rolling machine that, under pressure, rolls but does not rip the leaves in order to bruise and rupture the cells in the leaves. This allows the cells to release cell sap (which contains tannins, caffeine, and proteins, among other substances), a necessary step that begins the oxidation process. The withered leaf is usually rolled three or four separate times, under increased pressure, until the cell rupture is complete.
Seven steps and a great deal of knowledge and experience are required
to manufacture a fine orthodox black tea: (1) fine plucking, (2) leaf withering, (3) rotary leaf rolling (cell rupture), (4) oxidation, (5) firing, (6) grading for quality, and (7) final sorting. After firing, the teas are put through revolving or oscillating sorting machines that separate the various grades of tea by using a series of five or more differently sized mesh screens. Each screen is designed to capture one grade size of tea; the rest of the tea passes through to a finer screen. After grading, the tea is sorted one last time to remove any stems or other debris, a task usually done by hand. For more information, see chapter 3.
Have you ever wondered about a seemingly mysterious coding of letters that follow the names of some teas? This code is the technical abbreviation for terminology used to differentiate various grades of leaf. Be sure to look for this the next time you are purchasing tea. If the teashop does not display this information on its jars or bins of loose-leaf tea, ask why not! Without knowing this information, a merchant cannot make a comparative decision about the style or value of the tea when he or she is considering which teas to purchase for resale. Consequently, consumers learn little in their quest to become educated about what they are purchasing. Purchasing tea is similar to purchasing wine; that is, the most expensive products are not always the best or the most suited to one’s individual needs. Price is determined by many factors, and goodness is usually one of them, but tea enthusiasts should learn to evaluate tea by its flavor, not its price tag.
Orthodox leaf is classified as whole leaf, broken leaf, fannings, and dust, and is graded by leaf size in each class. For example, whole-leaf teas would be listed from the finest, thinnest leaf to the largest and thickest leaf, from top to bottom. Table 4.2 outlines this system.
Table 4.2. Grades of Orthodox Indian Tea
The Story of Tea Page 25