Darjeeling is a tea drinker's paradise. Tea gardens and estates dot the hillside as far as the eye can see, and every shop in town offers some kind of local tea for purchase. My goals for the day were to learn about the tea making process and about different types of teas as well. In pursuit of the second goal, I've had 7 cups of tea today. This is by far the most caffeine I've ingested in a very long time! As far as tastes go, I've learned the following about my palate: I prefer infused green teas over plain ones but black over green in general (jasmine green tea is my favorite infusion, though I haven't tried them all). I prefer the later harvests to the earlier ones - the first is too bitter for me, but the second is something I could see myself drinking in the mornings and the autumnal in the afternoon/evenings. I don't care for oolong or white teas, or at least comparatively. White is too light and oolong has a funny aftertaste. Now, what does this all mean? For the uninitiated, this statement might seem like jibberish. I'll do my best to explain what I've learned so far so as to throw some light on the subject.
The main types of teas that are produced in this region are black, green and white. "Darjeeling" tea can refer to any of these - similar to French wine regions, any tea produced within this region is classified as Darjeeling, regardless of the type of tea. All of these "color" teas are produced from the same plant - the ptpe of processing determines what color the final product will be. Tea in India is in its infancy compared to countries like China and Japan - tea has only been grown around here for the past 150 years. However, the temperate climate found on these hillsides has proven to be a great place for tea to thrive, and so it has.
Once the tea leaves have been picked, they go to the processing facility. Each type (color) of tea has its own process it undergoes, but the one I learned the most about (and seemingly the most complex process) is black tea. First the leaves are dried using a cool fan - removing about 60% of the moisture. Then they are "twisted," which basically means that the leaves are macerated and chopped to release the enzymes that start oxydization. The leaves are then laid out on trays to ferment.
Once that has been completed, they are heated slightly, then are "shaped" by rolling the leaves or otherwise manipulating them - this does something to the flavor, I guess. Once that's done, they sort the tea by size and quality - there were at least 6 different types of quality that came out of the same batch, from what I could tell.
The green and white teas experience similar processes, but the main difference seems to be in the level of oxidation that is allowed to happen. Both green and white teas are heated sooner in the process to stop the fermentation. White tea also doesn't undergo the twisting or rolling - the leaves are left as they are, which accounts for the lighter flavor.
The harvest takes place two or three times per year. The first "flush" (as its called) is usually lower quality an results in more bitter tea. The second flush is what Darjeeling is famous for - these teas are richer and smoother and have a characteristic muskiness called "muscatel" that is what makes Darjeeling tea so special. The third flush - or autnal flush - is not as consistent as the second but results in more mellow teas. Within each flush, the highest quality teas are called the "silver tips." I didn't see any literal silver tips in these teas but maybe wasn't looking closely enough...
The tea factory I visited where I learned all of this was called Makaibari Tea Estate. It is one of the few estates that let you tour their plant rather than just the tea gardens. I had to suit up in surgical mask and hair net and shoe covers to enter the facility - I looked hot!
This factoisthat built in 1859 - the oldest in the region (if not the world - I wasn't quite clear on that point). The owner of the estate was super friendly and invited me to his office for a chat and a cup of tea. I'm glad I took him up on the offer because this guy was quite the character! He's the fourth generation owner of the estate in his family and so grew up on the plantation. He has been educated at Cambridge and wrote a book on tea on Darjeeling and has a documentary that apparently airs on the Travel Channel in the US. What's more - he's just a hoot! He kept saying these one liners that made him sound like a fortune cookie. He refers to tea as the "magical and mystical plant" and made me close my eyes and make a wish before I took my first sip. He talked to me about the mating habits of cicadas, plantation ownership, types of tea, local fauna, and more. The plantation has a resident tiger and tigress that they spot occasionally. He even had a bunch of stuffed dead animals outside and in his office - including a tiger that his dad shot in 1971.
Next he brought in a guy (Nayan) who lives in one of the villages on the plantation who runs an organization called Volunteer In Makaibari. This is a great initiative that is meant to empower the women of the village to earn a little extra money (actually most of the tea picking is done by women here, but it doesnt pay micuh). They have set up homestays for tourists - the families provide lodging and 3 meals a day. The tourists are able to get a more authentic experience, get to know some locals, and stay on the beautiful plantation. Nayan showed me a couple of the homestays - they were pretty nice, especially for $25 a night.
Nayan and I sat in his office and chatted for a bit. He seems really passionate about his job - which is non-profit, btw. I asked him if he had ever seen the local tiger and he said no, but that he has seen spotted leopards a lot of times. Apparently they even wander arou the village! The sad part is that a leopard ate his dog about a year ago - he was very emotional when he was telling the story. I think you all can imagine how much I sympathized with the poor guy. I also asked him about the villagers' feelings toward the plantation owner. There seemed to be an almost feudal atmosphere in the village, so I was curious if there was any resentment. Apparently this particular owner is well respected because he tries to partner with his workers. He provides medical care and housing to his workers as part of their compensation, which not all owners do. He's also such a personality that I expect the workers get a kick out of him :)
After my trip to the plantation, I spent the rest of the day in town, sipping different teas. I went to a local tea shop and tries a bunch of different kinds (which is how I I figured out my likes and dislikes). Overall, not a ba way to spend a day...
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