Darjeeling Tea - Highly Prized and Rare

The Darjeeling Tea comes from the British effort to disperse the tea seeds of the oolong to the Natives of West Bengal because other tea did not appeal to the British as well. The efforts were done when West India was still under the British control. Surprisingly, the result of this experiment resulted in highly prized tea which was appealing to the Natives, and British.

When choosing to purchase Darjeeling Tea, you have to be very careful as not all tea is made from 100% Darjeeling tea leaves. In fact, only about a quarter of the tea sold as Darjeeling Tea is made from 100% Darjeeling Tea leaves. Others have a mixture of the Darjeeling tea leaves, and others tea leaves. Generally, those varieties are a bit cheaper than authentic 100% Darjeeling Tea.

There are 3 different types of Darjeeling Tea that you can choose from. Their flavors and aroma will differ from these three kinds which are actually just from different times of harvest. They are known as the first flush, second flush, and third flush.

The first flush is generally the most popular of the three varieties as it is a light, fruity tea which is just perfect for afternoon tea. Generally, the first flush is the first of the tea leaves to be harvested, and will normally be harvested during March. They are not as heavy, and go well with snacks. Generally, the first flush should be a sweet tea, and the colors of the tea are lighter when brewed.

The second flush, on the other hand, is the second harvest which occurs in late Spring or early Summer. The tea leaves at this period of time have had all the time in the world to mature, and their flavor is strong and fully grown. The color of the tea when brewed is darker. Sometimes the second flush will have a fruity muscatel flavor accompanying it although it does not happen all the time.