Jakarta, CNN Indonesia — During the war, Darjeeling was only known as a connecting point between Bhutan and Nepal. No one knows that the land of Darjeeling Province, India, holds one of the best teas in the world.
Until finally the British visited Darjeeling and found that the climate in the province was very suitable for tea plants. They also started managing land in the Darjeeling valleys.
This tea eventually became famous and is now nicknamed champagne of tea or king of tea. Even though he has been crowned the king of tea, not many tea connoisseurs know the superiority of this drink. For this reason, the Marketing Manager of TWG Tea explained further about Darjeeling tea to CNN Indonesia, a few days ago.
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Type: black tea
Traditionally, the type of tea grown in Darjeeling is black tea. According to Trixie, black tea This is the tea with the most oxidation process.
“The oxidation process creates stronger theine so that people will be more literate. This type of tea can pump up energy to get ready for activities all day,” said Trixie.
Tea leaf shoots
Most teas are extracts from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis tree. However, black tea Darjeeling is mostly an extract from the tops of the tea tree leaves.
“You can imagine, just the leaves wouldn’t be that difficult. However, selecting only the shoots requires more effort,” said Trixie.
It doesn’t stop there, Darjeeling tea also has grades referring to the shoots used. According to Trixie, there are many tea plantations in Darjeeling. The more tea shoots used, the higher the grade.
Apart from that, the length of time a shoot grows also affects the price of Darjeeling tea. “There are those that grow fast and slow. Of course the slow ones are more expensive because the effort is also harder,” said Trixie.
Place to grow
In Darjeeling there are many tea plantations. The distribution of this tea also apparently affects the taste.
“Tea absorbs the aroma of the area where it grows. The characteristics of each region are different,” said Trixie.
The variety of soil types and regions in Darjeeling means that the tea produced is also diverse. Each tea has a characteristic aroma and aftertaste different.
Harvest time
The rich taste of Darjeeling tea is also influenced by the time of harvest. Darjeeling tea itself is finally divided into three types according to harvest time.
“There is first flush it’s spring time. Meanwhile, second flush it’s summer time, and third flush it was autumn time. They all taste different,” Trixie said.
Tea harvested in spring generally has a strong floral aroma. “This comes back because tea absorbs the smells of the surroundings, so when the flowers bloom, the tea produced also smells like flowers,” said Trixie.
Meanwhile, tea harvested in the second and third waves had similar characteristics. “As summer and fall progress, the taste and color become more intense. The theine content is the same, but the color is more intense,” said Trixie.
(mer/mer)
