Stash Darjeeling Antique

Tucked away in Northeast India at an elevation of 6500 feet, Darjeeling is a small resort town. Its breathtaking views allow the eye to travel from the scorching plains below, upward over a succession of mountains that culminate with the mighty Kanchenjunga, almost as high as Everest. Because of its location Darjeeling was the hot-weather headquarters of the Bengal government under the British Raj and a popular vacation spot.

Darjeeling teas are considered the finest, rarest and most prestigious of black teas. The taste of Darjeeling varies with the seasons or harvest periods. The first flush or springtime tea, is harvested from late February to mid-April. The young leaves yield a light tea with a flavor of green Muscat. The arrival of first flush Darjeeling is impatiently awaited by connoisseurs - not unlike the arrival of Beaujolais wine - and they are sometimes specially air-freighted. Second flush Darjeeling or summertime tea, is harvested in May and June before the monsoon. It makes a more full-bodied cup than first flush Darjeeling.

There are eighty gardens in the Darjeeling district, each producing its own distinct tea and flavor. Our Antique Darjeeling (STGFOP1) second flush tea is grown by the Gopaldhara estate, considered one of the "crown jewels" of Darjeeling tea gardens. The estate at an elevation of 7400 feet, produces the highest grown teas in the world. Near the town of Mirik, the estate employs 430 workers on 867 acres of pure green fields. Gopaldhara gets its name from "Gopal " meaning the beloved Hindu God Krishna and "Dhara" meaning pure stream of fresh spring water.

The name "Antique" was given to this exquisite Darjeeling tea because it has been produced the same way since 1901 when the gardens were first planted. It has a unforgettable fragrance with light body and a typical muscat flavor and distinctive mellow character. It is best enjoyed early in the afternoon and never with milk or sugar.

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