Darjeeling tea was not known in the 1850’s, when tea planting first began in the area. A lot of hard work took place through the 1900’s, when 89 gardens were running at full steam. Robert Fortune and Dr. Campbell are contenders in this discovery – one forgotten and another fully credited. Personally, I credit Robert Fortune, who brought the planting material from China. Today what we have – Darjeeling Tea – is Chinese tea going back to China.
The tea was little known in China until 2004, when we first brought it in. In 2013 – just little less than ten years from its introduction – everybody knows Darjeeling. Taking the lesson of shorter shelf life of green teas, British tea traders developed a tea manufacturing process for Darjeeling teas, later known as the black orthodox process. This requires withering, rolling, fermenting or oxidation, firing, and sorting. Much can be written about this, but for today’s post we will consider the quantity produced.
Only 7500 tons of this tea is produced annually. The quality period of first and second flushes – March and May – represents about 25% of the total, or less than 2000 tons. The balance is rain or banjee teas – which are frequently similar to inferior teas of many other regions. This similarity provides opportunity to unscrupulous traders to make money in the short run – at the expense of a bad reputation. The Indian Tea Board is trying their level best to check the corruption by certifying Darjeeling teas with a Certification Trade Mark and registering Darjeeling tea traders into their electronic data system which closely monitors the production, marketing and quality of these teas world-wide. Legal procedures for overseas operations are difficult, but if consequences are effected they are punitive and severe. Unfortunately, the Indian Tea Board has not been able to proceed far in China but studies are underway.
It was a coincidence that I first called Darjeeling “Xi fang mei ren,” compared to “Dong fang mei ren” of Taiwan. It evoked laughter in the office of the Taiwan Tea Corporation in Taipei when we took an Indian tea delegation led by the Indian Tea Board Chairman. Therefore I became motivated to call this tea by its new name. Last October Xiao Juan coined this new name in China when we had the august gathering of senior tea people in Beijing over a tea testing session in her office in Dongli tea house.
Last said, but not least, this tea is the queen of teas. An iced version – which is unusual in China – will be immensely popular in hot Beijing summer so we are going to serve it iced from our Indian booth this year. Please come to enjoy this.
Featured image courtesy of Natara at freedigitalphotos.net/
I suspect there will always be unscrupulous people in every industry. I think the India Tea board was wise to devise a certification trade mark to help identify quality Darjeeling teas.
I’ve always been interested in why the Chinese don’t embrace iced tea. The Japanese certainly do, which is another ancient culture of tea. I understand it has to do with traditional Chinese medicine.
After having seen china closely I admire upkeep of their cultural heritage – language is one – allowing too much English will kill their own language like it did in India – same way cooling tea kills its value – drinking hot tea is better for body if you really wants to drink tea…Japanese are much more modern like koreans, Taiwanese, Hong Kong and Singapore people and drink ice teas or many more junk drinks…hope your question is answered Michelle ….
Rajiv, that iced drink on the left looks amazing!
@Michelle
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is believed that cold tea is too “cooling” and damages the digestive. Hence Chinese tea traditionalist avoid drinking it iced or even at room temperature.
Thanks Derek. I knew there was a reason. I believe today however that room temperature is regularly consumed. I observed many people with jars filled with tea and tea leaves that they kept drinking from. Hot water would be added but consumed over time. Very interesting. I wonder if the next step will be iced tea. It is a slippery slope:)
so much tea – so many types and so many uses – so much tea culture – some for goodness some for wellness some for pleasure – choose what you may
Grateful to you, Rajiv for being such a wonderful Ambassador of Tea!