darjeeling antique black tea

type: black

origin: india

region: darjeeling

variety: darjeeling

caffeine: no-caffeine

price level: $$$$

A delicate, light-tasting Darjeeling with the characteristic hint of Muscat. Unusually large green leaves with lots of tips and a golden color in the cup. The name "Antique" was given to this exquisite Darjeeling tea because it has been produced the same way since 1901 when the gardens were first planted. It has a unforgettable fragrance. It is best enjoyed early in the afternoon and never with milk or sugar. Tucked away in Northeast India at an elevation of 6500 feet, Darjeeling is a small resort town. Darjeeling teas are considered the finest, rarest and most prestigious of black teas. The taste of Darjeeling varies with the seasons or harvest periods. The first flush or springtime tea, is harvested from late February to mid-April. The young leaves yield a light tea with a flavor of green Muscat. Second flush Darjeeling or summertime tea, is harvested in May and June before the monsoon. It makes a more full-bodied cup than first flush Darjeeling. There are eighty gardens in the Darjeeling district, each producing its own distinct tea and flavor. Our Antique Darjeeling (STGFOP1) second flush tea is grown by the Gopaldhara estate, considered one of the "crown jewels" of Darjeeling tea gardens. The estate at an elevation of 7400 feet, produces the highest grown teas in the world. Near the town of Mirik, the estate employs 430 workers on 867 acres of pure green fields. Gopaldhara gets its name from "Gopal " meaning the beloved Hindu God Krishna and "Dhara" meaning pure stream of fresh spring water.