Tea 201 – Indian Black Tea – Assam vs Darjeeling

Assam and Darjeeling…some of you may have heard those words thrown around (I know I have). They are both black teas grown in different regions of Indian (the Assam and Darjeeling regions…guess which ones came from where). Oh, and they both have good amounts of caffeine. That is as far as the similarities go.

Color:

Assam tea is said to be darker and redder in color than Darjeeling. According to some, Darjeeling does not change color when brewed.

Shape:

According to the Tea Board of India, the Darjeeling leaves are smaller than Assam. Darjeeling are also said to have fine hairs on the underside, which are lost during drying.

Availability:

Assam is easier to grow and stronger in flavor, which makes it a preferable candidate to brands for Lipton, Tetley or Celestial Seasonings. Assam grows year round. The region of Assam is also considering larger than Darjeeling. Darjeeling, on the other hand, has four separate growing periods, which produce smaller loads. There are 80 Darjeeling tea gardens in less than 70 square miles compared to the 800 tea estates in Assam.

Price:

Darjeeling is harder to grow than Assam therefore making it more expensive. It also has a shorter harvesting season than Assam.

Flavor:

It is said that brewed Assam is stronger in flavor than Darjeeling. The Tea Board of India describes Darjeeling as having a flavor like a ‘delicate muscatel.’ This lends itself to comparing Darjeeling teas as the ‘champagne of teas.’

There is also a lesser known third type of Indian tea called Nilgiris, or Blue Mountain, which is found at the southwestern tip of India. This type of tea can be harvested year round. In fact, Nilgiri produces for a rare type of tea called ‘frost tea.’ This tea is created when the leaves are harvested in winter after receiving a gentle coating of frost.

Source: www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5477258596992155177

Orthodox whole leaf dearer at Kolkata auctions

KOLKATA, SEPT. 23:
This week at Sale No. 38, the total offerings (packages) at three North Indian auction centres at Kolkata, Guwahati and Siliguri were 4,40,723 compared with 4,13,519 in the corresponding sale of the last year, according to J Thomas & Company Pvt Ltd, the tea auctioneers.

The offerings at Kolkata were 1,83,509 (1,88,413) comprising 1,56,057 (1,39,901) of CTC/Dust, 22,356 (42,436 ) of Orthodox and 5,096 (6,076) of Darjeeling. The lowering offerings were due to the drop in Orthodox and Darjeeling packages.

The offerings at Guwahati were 1,50,518 (1,29,313) and Siliguri 1,06,696 (95,793) and comprised only CTC/Dust.

Selected clean and better liquoring Assam CTC teas were around last with few lines appreciating. The remainder were irregularly lower following quality. Well-made Dooars sold readily at firm to occasionally dearer rates, while the remainder tended irregularly easier. Tata Global was active. There was good support from Hindustan Unilever. Western India dealers were active for the liquoring sorts.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/article2479991.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home

Indian Teas: Facts and Personality Traits

While at the World Tea East Expo in Philadelphia we learned some interesting facts from Devan Shah, President of ITI. Did you know that…

1. Tea bushes were discovered growing wild in Assam in 1836
2. 12 chests of tea were sent as the very first shipment to London in 1839
3. First tea auction was held in India in 1861
4. India became the largest exporter of tea to Britain in 1899

Devan described the teas of India like its regions and the people who live there. Very interesting concept…
Assam: The Strong One “If strength is your weakness, Assam is your tea”

• The teas are like the people: bold, robust, harsh and aggressive
• Birth place of Indian Teas
• Worlds single largest tea growing region
• Worlds most used tea
• 900,000,000 lbs of tea is produced yearly
• Is a very large leaf like the teas in Yunnan, China

Darjeeling: The Exotic One

• Known as the Champagne of Teas
• The people of Darjeeling are peaceful, are low spoken, soft and feel like they live in Nirvana on top of the world
• 80 + tea gardens located in the misty section of North-East India
• Himalaya Mountains
• Borders Nepal
• 7500 ft elevation
• 1st Flush is called “Easter Flush”
  
  • Europe/Germany are the largest buyers of 1st flush teas but Japan is showing strong interest as well
  • Flavors are often vegetal, green, mild, and astringent
• 2nd Flush (Spring)
  
  • Rains start to arrive until June/July
  • Some of the best Darjeelings are produced during this time of year
  • The green leaf hopper (similar to Taiwan) is part of what makes Darjeeling have the muscatel flavor
  • Very attractive tea with purplish browns, greens and silver tips
  • Coppery infused leaf has a penny color like a fine wine
• Monsoon Flush
  
  
  • Rain teas, produced and picked every 4 days
  • Enormous leaf
  • Produced from Mid-July to October
  • Has more color and strength then other flushes
  • More abundant and often used in blends
• Autumnal Flush
  
  • Light copper, brownish with a malty aroma
  • Produced late October – November

Nilgiri (Blue Mountains): The Forgiving One

• First teas planted in 1859
• Like the people of South India: intelligent and peaceful
• You can’t over steep a Nilgiri tea
• One of the best teas to use to make a chai concentrate
• Less tannins and doesn’t cloud which makes it perfect for iced tea
• Has overtones of a 2nd Flush Darjeeling but cost is less
• 8500 ft altitude and grown year round but best time is Oct – Mar
• Nilgiri is the only Communist state left in India

Which tea region do you most associate with? Are you a bold Assam character? Are you more gentle like a Darjeeling? More forgiving like a cup of tea from the Nilgiri region? Something to think about as you brew that magical cup of Indian tea.

Sip tea. Feel Happy!
Source: http://tealove.wordpress.com/category/darjeeling/
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Darjeeling Black Tea Seasons

September 7, 2011 in Tea - Black

When people tell me that they like Darjeeling black teas, I’m always tempted to ask if they have a seasonal preference. Since I’ve started drinking tea, I’ve found that Darjeelings vary greatly and that these differences aren’t always due to differences between the gardens in which they are grown. The teas produced during each season each have distinctly different qualities: In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d find it difficult to believe that first flush and autumn flush Darjeelings had any connection to each other!

Here is a brief rundown of the main Darjeeling seasons, along with my observations. Keep in mind that my preferences are strictly my own: You may feel very differently about these the teas of each Darjeeling season, and I can guarantee you that there are a lot of tea drinkers out there who know a lot more about Darjeeling than I do!

First-Flush Darjeeling is typically picked in the middle of March. There is often a lot of fanfare about first-flush Darjeelings, and some tea companies boast of having first-flush Darjeeling tea shipped via airmail so that customers can get it while it is at its most fresh. I confess to being somewhat indifferent to first-flush Darjeeling myself: I’ve been known to quip that it doesn’t know whether it wants to be a green or black tea when it grows up. Still, I’ve had some excellent first-flush Darjeelings. . .just not very many of them. Expect the liquor to appear green in the cup and for its flavors to be far more subtle and delicate than what you may typically expect from a black tea. I’d avoid pairing these teas with food: Drink them on their own to fully appreciate their flavors.

Second-Flush Darjeeling gets picked in the late spring or early summer and is definitely a black tea. Good Darjeelings typically have what is known as the “muscatel” flavor, which is slightly fruity, slightly spicy. I strongly urge people to not add milk or sugar to either first or second-flush Darjeelings, as their flavors are simply too delicate to withstand the assault of additives. Try pairing second flush Darjeelings with afternoon tea foods such as watercress and cucumber sandwiches or scones.

Autumn Flush Darjeeling gets picked in the fall and is definitely a heartier tea. The best autumn flushes that I’ve tried have a lovely nutty quality to them, and can take milk and sugar nicely. It goes well with food and can be a particularly good tea to serve with a traditional afternoon tea. It also makes an excellent alternative to Assam at breakfast.

Source: http://englishtea.us/2011/09/07/darjeeling-black-tea-seasons/