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Darjeeling tea estate

Darjeeling, West Bengal, IN

Placeholder farm entry — Darjeeling tea is the *Camellia sinensis* var. *sinensis* (the Chinese cultivar) grown at 600–2,000 m on the Indian side of the Himalaya. Only ~17,000 hectares qualify for the Darjeeling GI; the entire region produces less tea per year than a single large Sri Lankan estate, and the price difference reflects the scarcity.

The original champagne of teas. Darjeeling’s three named flushes — first flush in early spring (green-pale, floral), second flush in early summer (the famous muscatel, with the wine-grape note insects induce in the leaves), autumn flush (deeper, rounder) — are graded and traded almost like vintages. The garden name on the tin matters as much as the year.