Darjeeling Estate Golden-Tipped
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Darjeeling Estate Golden-Tipped

Darjeeling is a small resort town situated in northwest Bengal, 400 miles due north of Calcutta in the small neck of Indian territory that separates Nepal and Bhutan. Its location at 6500 feet provides a temperate, if rainy climate, and breathtaking views that 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. To Buddhists it is famous today as the place of exile of the Dalai Lama.

Only to the western world is the name Darjeeling synonymous with superior tea. This is because Darjeeling's mere forty two thousand acres under tea cultivation account for less than three percent of all tea that India produces. Darjeeling's reputation for quality tea is so high, India sells almost all of it abroad. Tea estates in Darjeeling range from less than four thousand feet to almost ten thousand feet in elevation.

Darjeeling teas are considered the rarest and most prestigious of black teas. The taste of Darjeeling varies with the seasons. 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.

Our Darjeeling Estate Golden-Tipped TGFOP is a prized first flush tea. It has an abundance of golden-tipped leaves, which indicates a very high quality tea. Its exquisite flowery bouquet, Muscat flavor and distinctive mellow character is best enjoyed early in the afternoon, and never with milk or sugar.