Darjeeling (tea)
The Darjeeling [ dɑdʒiːlɪŋ ] is a type of tea from the Indian district of Darjeeling , the center of Bengal tea cultivation in the area of the city Darjeeling .
history
Tea cultivation in the West Bengal district of Darjeeling goes back to the Englishman Archibald Campbell (1805–1874). He was the first to experiment with different types of tea in his private garden in the Darjeeling area. In 1841 Campbell brought tea seeds from the Kumaun area from his botanical research trips and began growing tea on an experimental basis near his Beechwood residence in Darjeeling. At the end of the 1840s, numerous tea experts were sent to the region at the direction of the government, confirming Campbell's first successes. Since the area around Darjeeling was sparsely populated at that time, the British occupying forces decided to relocate workers from the border area with Nepal .
The first 30 tea gardens were created in 1866, which were then expanded further. The success led to the founding of the Darjeeling Company as early as 1864 , which was renamed the Darjeeling Consolidated Tea Company in 1896 .
The Darjeeling tea industry now employs around 70,000 workers, around a quarter of whom work as seasonal workers during the harvest period from March to November on the approximately 18,000 hectares of cultivated land.
In 2017 there was a general strike by tea pickers in the region. The plantations suffered damage and the Darjeeling teas became scarce on the world market. Reaching the old harvest level could take years.
Assignment
In general, the Darjeeling brand describes every tea that comes from the region. A wide range of teas such as green tea , white tea , yellow tea and oolong are produced in Darjeeling . Specifically, however, the description “Darjeeling tea” usually means a tea with extensive fermentation, which combines the properties of oolong and black tea and is usually assigned to black tea .
Characteristic features
First flush
- Harvest time: late February to late April
- Cup color: golden yellow, light
- Aroma: very fine, mild, flowery
- Flight tea available: yes (from the beginning of May)
- Drinking habits: no milk, little / no sugar or a little lemon
- Special features: unfolds its aroma incompletely with high water hardness
In-betweens
- Harvest time: mid-April to mid-May, between first and second flush
- Aroma: the taste lies between first and second flush, but does not achieve the same quality as the two
Second flush
- Harvest time: beginning of June to beginning of July
- Cup color: amber
- Aroma: rounded, stronger than first flush
Autumnals
- Harvest time: from October to mid-December at the latest after the summer monsoon rains
- Cup color: golden yellow, similar to the first flush
- Aroma: light, fine taste, slightly bitter note in the finish, does not achieve the full aroma of a second or first flush
- Special features: with green, brown and black tea leaves the most colorful tea grain; Since it contains little tannic acid, it is better seasoned with honey, sugar or milk than the other varieties.
Others
Only women have always picked the tea leaves, and only "two leaves and a bud" (two leaves and a bud) from each shoot. The seal of the “ Tea Board of India ” shows the “two leaves and a bud” motif. Oolong and green tea have also been produced in Darjeeling for several years.
Problem of cutting tea
Since Darjeeling tea has always been one of the more expensive black teas, there are serious problems with forgeries and blends. Around 40,000 tons of tea are sold as Darjeeling worldwide every year, while only between 8,000 and 11,000 tons of tea are produced. In order to at least make this form of product piracy more difficult, the “Tea Board of India” was set up in India in 1953. This Tea Board only issues a seal and a license number to teas that are 100% pure Darjeeling tea. Since October 2011, 100% of a tea sold as Darjeeling in the European Union has to come from this area.
Sheet sorting
Darjeeling tea is offered in different leaf grades:
- SFTGFOP1 (Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1st, highest grade)
- FTGFOP1 (Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1st)
- TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
- FOP (Flowery Orange Pekoe)
- OP ( Orange Pekoe )
- P (pekoe)
Tea gardens
There are numerous tea gardens in Darjeeling, each producing tea with a different character and aroma. Some well-known tea gardens are Jogmaya, Arya, Chamong, Glenburn, Lingia, Castleton, Jungpana, Makaibari, Margaret's Hope, Steinthal, Soom and Risheehat. The Darjeeling canyon area is divided into seven regions: West Darjeeling, East Darjeeling, Teesta, Mirik, Rungbong, North Kursong and South Kursong.
Individual evidence
- ↑ History of Darjeeling Tea ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (German)
- ^ Dane Kennedy: Hill Stations and the British Raj, History of Darjeeling tea. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996
- ↑ tagesschau.de: Weltspiegel report: Darjeeling tea in danger. Retrieved October 10, 2017 .
- ↑ FAZ : Darjeeling harvests fall victim to strike , July 16, 2019, loaded on February 18, 2020
- ↑ Official Journal of the EU Commission of October 20, 2011 , entry in the register of protected designations of origin.
- ↑ Lupicia Pacific, Inc .: Darjeeling (India). ( Memento of the original from February 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Tea from the Himalayas: the golden leaf
- Photos and preparation of Darjeeling tea
- Uprising in the tea plantations Article about economic problems and political conflicts in the tea-growing region of Darjeeling