- Darjeeling, located in West Bengal, has an elevation of 2042 meters above sea level. The hill slopes are covered in vast expanses of tea plantations all around. Darjeeling Tea is grown at an altitude ranging from 750 to 2000 meters. It is among the highest elevation grown teas in the world.
- Darjeeling Tea is one of the most popular brews of tea in the world. It is known as the 'Champagne of Teas' due to its strong muscatel flavour. Tea tourism in Darjeeling is very popular due to the worldwide fame of Darjeeling Tea.
- Robert Fortune, a spy for the British East India Company, smuggled the Chinese tea plant Camellia sinensis sinensis in 1851. That is how tea cultivation in Darjeeling was started. Today 150 years later, the same variety of tea still grows in these Himalayan slopes.
- Darjeeling Tea is a GI tagged product. Only teas that are grown in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts can be sold as Darjeeling Tea. This only serves to make the tea gardens in Darjeeling more alluring, boosting tea tourism in the region.
- Darjeeling Tea, primarily the black tea variety, is produced in the traditional orthodox method. The leaves are hand-plucked and hand-processed. This is what makes it one of the highest priced teas in the world.
- Tea in Darjeeling is grown in three distinct seasons: spring, summer, and autumn. The tea leaves are picked during these particular seasons and categorized into First Flush, Second Flush and Autumnal Flush respectively. Each Flush or season produces teas with distinct flavour and taste.
- The best time for tea tourism in Darjeeling is to plan a trip during one of the Flush seasons. This gives tourists a chance to witness tea plucking in the gardens and maybe even do it themselves. Visiting a tea garden and talking to the local tea workers is a wonderful opportunity for any tourist.
- Spring in Darjeeling lasts from late February to mid-April. After a cold chilly winter, new tender shoots can be seen growing on the tea shrubs with its delicate, fragile and grey-green sheen on the tea leaves. The distinctive feature of Darjeeling First Flush Tea is a fragrant floral aroma. The tea liquor is characterized by a light translucent colour and a mild astringent flavour that impart a lively character to the tea.
- The production of Darjeeling Second Flush Tea takes place between May to June. The tea leaves are luscious, moist and juicy. They are characterized by an alluring turquoise, purplish bloom and a touch of shimmering shiny apex (buds). The tea leaves are more vivid in its colour and appearance than that of spring. Summer season is when the famous muscatel flavour becomes pronounced. The Darjeeling Second Flush is infused with tea leaves of bright copper or purplish tinge and a muscatel aroma.
- Darjeeling Autumn Flush is infused with tea leaves that have a golden coppery hue with an aromatic and fresh fragrance. The liquor has a light brownish tinge or gentle copper glow. The tea imparts a delicate, yet a silvery and glimmering character.
For those who want to have an authentic tea tourism experience in Darjeeling, planning a trip during one of the Flush seasons is most ideal.