Elevation: Teas are grown at elevations ranging from 600 to 2000 metres above sea level.
Annual Rainfall: The average annual rainfall in Darjeeling ranges around the 309cm mark.
Darjeeling Tea — as exotic and mysterious as the hills themselves. A tradition steeped in history and a mystique that is felt in every sip. Walk into the cloudy mountains and feel light hearted.
First planted in the early 1800s, the incomparable quality of Darjeeling Teas is the result of its locational climate, soil conditions, altitude and meticulous processing. About 10 million kilograms are grown every year, spread over 17,500 hectares of land. The tea has its own special aroma, that rare fragrance that fills the senses. Tea from Darjeeling has been savoured by connoisseurs all over the world. Like all luxury brands Darjeeling Tea is aspired to, worldwide.
Darjeeling lies to the north east of India, among the great Himalayas, in the state of West Bengal. Every morning, as the mist rises from the mountains, women tea pluckers make their way up the steep mountain paths towards the 87 fabled gardens that have been producing the highly prized black teas of Darjeeling. Located on grand estates veiled in the clouds, the gardens are in fact plantations that, at times, stretch over hundreds of acres. But, they are still gardens, because all tea grown here carries the name of the estate, or garden, in which it is grown.
True Darjeeling Tea possesses a flavour and quality, which sets it apart from other teas. As a result it has won the patronage and recognition of discerning consumers worldwide for more than a century. Darjeeling Tea that is worthy of its name cannot be grown or manufactured anywhere else in the world.
All teas produced in the tea growing areas of India, including Darjeeling, are administered by the Tea Board, India under the Tea Act, 1953. Since its establishment, the Tea Board has had sole control over the growing and exporting of Darjeeling Tea and it is this which has given rise to the reputation enjoyed by Darjeeling Tea. The Tea Board has been engaged in the protection and preservation of this treasured icon of India’s cultural heritage as a Geographical Indication on a worldwide basis.
To authenticate the regional origin of Darjeeling Tea, Tea Board has developed a unique logo, known as the Darjeeling logo.
At a legal level, Tea Board is the owner of all intellectual property rights in the Darjeeling word and logo both in common law and under the provisions of the following statutes in India:
- The Trade Marks Act 1999 DARJEELING word and logo are registered certification marks of Tea Board;
- The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999: DARJEELING word and logo were the first Geographical Indications to be registered in India in the name of the Tea Board;
- The Copyright Act, 1957: The DARJEELING logo is copyright protected and registered as an artistic work with the Copyright Office.
Use of the Darjeeling word and logo are protected as Geographical Indications in India and as Certification Trade Marks in UK, USA and India.
Use of the DARJEELING word and logo are protected as Geographical Indications (GI) in India and as Certification Trade Marks (CTM) in UK, USA, Australia and Taiwan. A major development in this area is the registration of the Darjeeling word as a Community Collective Mark (CCM) in the European Union. On 12th November, 2007 an application had been filed for registration of DARJEELING as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) under European Council Regulation 510/2006, which was finally adopted as "Darjeeling PGI" on 20th Oct 2011. This registration is a vital step in the protection of DARJEELING, as DARJEELING will now be protected, inter alia, against any misuse, imitation or evocation or use accompanied by expressions such as "style", "type", "method", "as produced in", "imitation" or similar types in the EU countries.
As a pre-requisite for domestic and international protection of Darjeeling as a certification trademark and a Geographical Indication, the Tea Board has formulated and put in place a comprehensive certification scheme wherein the definition of Darjeeling Tea has been formulated to mean tea that:
- is cultivated, grown or produced in the 87 tea gardens in the defined geographic areas and which have been registered with the Tea Board;
- has been cultivated, grown or produced in one of the said 87 tea gardens;
- has been processed and manufactured in a factory located in the defined geographic area; and
- when tested by expert tea tasters, is determined to have the distinctive and naturally occurring organoleptic characteristics of taste, aroma and mouth feel, typical of tea cultivated, grown and produced in the region of Darjeeling, India.
The certification scheme put in place by the Tea Board covers all stages from the production level to the export stage and meets the dual objective of ensuring that (1) tea sold as Darjeeling Tea in India and worldwide is genuine Darjeeling Tea produced in the defined regions of the District of Darjeeling and meets the criteria laid down by the Tea Board and (2) all sellers of genuine Darjeeling Tea are duly licensed. This licensing program affords the Tea Board the necessary information and control over the Darjeeling Tea industry to ensure that tea sold under the certification marks adheres to the standards for DARJEELING Tea as set forth by the Tea Board.
Thus, only 100% Darjeeling Tea is entitled to carry the DARJEELING logo. While purchasing Darjeeling Tea, you need to look for Tea Board’s certification and license number, or else you will not get the taste and character that you should expect from Darjeeling Tea
There is a rare charm in the taste of Darjeeling Tea which makes it irresistible. The fine wine of teas is ideally to be drunk from the finest porcelain. After all, these are the rarest and most prestigious of teas and are savoured worldwide. The delicate flavour of the tea can be savoured at its best sans milk and sugar.
Tea Attributes:The Darjeeling tea when brewed gives a colour of pale lemon to rich amber. The brew is said to have remarkable varying degrees of visual brightness, depth and body. The flavour emanating from the brew is a fragrance with a complex and pleasing taste and aftertaste with attributes of aroma, bouquet and point. The organoleptic characteristics of the Darjeeling tea brew are commonly referred to as mellow, smooth, round, delicate, mature, sweet, lively, dry and brisk.