Darjeeling, “Champagne” of the Himalaya

Likening the culture of tea growing and production to wine highlights the similar care taken at fine tea estates in all steps of growing and processing.  As the appellation “Champagne” is reserved for a particular region of France, “Darjeeling” may only be applied to teas originating from the approximately 80 tea gardens recognized by the Darjeeling Planters Association.

The precipitous tea fields of Darjeeling. Photo: Anna Griswold

Soil, climate and elevation combine to produce ideal tea growing conditions along the southern flank of the Himalaya. Darjeeling district lies south of Sikkim, bordered by Nepal on the west and Bhutan to the east.  Steep slopes of the foothills enable excellent drainage, while humidity, fog, and cool mountain temperatures stimulate the tea trees into producing leaves of exceptional flavor and complexity.

Surprisingly, the people of India drank little tea prior to the 1850’s. It was British colonists who began experimenting in the mid-19^th century with tea tree seeds and cuttings from China, where domestic cultivation had begun much earlier. Today, most tea properties are privately owned by Indian companies.  Female pickers, with their small hands, are best suited for the delicate task of harvesting tea leaves and buds.  Due to the isolation and manual nature of tea production, many plantations have evolved into self-contained communities with housing and schools for workers and their families.

Asia360˚ guests on this autumn’s EPIC Himalayas journey (Sept. 18-Oct. 6) will spend four nights on a working Darjeeling tea plantation, the Glenburn Tea Estate.  Originally founded in 1859 by Scottish settlers, the estate is now in its fifth generation of ownership by an Indian tea growing family. You will sleep in traditional bungalows and take your meals and, of course, tea time on the terrace overlooking Kanchenjunga, world’s third highest peak.  After two day trips into the towns of Kalimpong and Darjeeling to explore their Buddhist sites, an orchid nursery, and the Snow Leopard Breeding Center, you will spend the final full day of your EPIC Himalayas adventure on the tea plantation.  Our visit should coincide with the picking of the autumn flush, the year’s final harvest before the trees go into their winter dormancy.  We will tour the tea fields and processing facility with the Estate Manager, and during a tea tasting session, sample the difference in teas produced during the first, second and autumn flushes.

Next time you put on the kettle, remember the remarkable origin of the tea leaf, one of our most refined pleasures, and its carefully tended journey to your kitchen cabinet.