Darjeeling - The Champagne of teas

As I promised yesterday, my staff and I today tasted our Darjeeling offering.

A First flush Darjeeling from the Pattabong or Puttabong (also Tukvar) tea estate, and a Second flush Darjeeling from the Chongtong tea estate which is found in Darjeeling east.

Did you know that only 77 tea estates are allowed to use the Darjeeling name? No wonder similarities are drawn with Champagne!

These teas contrast hugely, first of all there is the price differential. First flush Darjeeling is nearly four times the price of Second flush, but is it worth the money?

That's a very difficult question to answer as the teas taste so completely differently.

First flush is the first growth of leaves after winter, in fact to be precise it is the first two leaves and bud only. Because only the new growth is used, the tea leaves have a very green appearance, which in the cup makes for a very light infusion.

It's a mile away from a gutsy Assam or Ceylon B.O.P., however it delivers a wonderfully refreshing drink. Light, fragant and delicate Muscatel flavours all combine wonderfully on the pallet. No need for any additives.

The Second flush has a much darker appearance, not only are the rolled leaves more akin to traditional black teas, the taste too has a good deal more body, and the distinct Muscatel flavour is much more pronouced. Simply put it's a wonderful cup of tea. This one you can drink with milk, though no doubt a number of you might consider a slice of lemon as a welcome addition.

Having finished our tasting I realised what a great loss in our tea drinking tradition has taken place over the last 50 years as the UK market has become dominated by a handful of major players, none of whom are interested in the delicate sublities of the different tea estates of Darjeeling.

Isn't it a great irony that in an age when we seem to have endless choice, that the selection of great loose teas has become limited to a select few specialists such as ourselves. Who needs supermarkets!