Processing of Darjeeling Tea – Art in Making

Instead it follows a delicate and intricate procedure which produces one of the best tea in the world. Darjeeling Black Tea goes through all the stages discussed below. If a green tea or white tea is being produced, all the steps may not be followed.

Plucking tea leaves from the gardens: For Darjeeling tea, there needs to be only selective plucking of two leaves and the bud that makes a shoot. To make a kilogram of tea about 22,000 shoots are required. On an average a plucker is given a target of 4 to 5kgs per day, and during the high plucking season the target increases and can get doubled. While tea plucking season is from March to November, bulk of the tea leaves are plucked during the monsoon time. Mostly the teas are plucked in the morning when the morning dews are still there on the tea leaves.
Withering: The next step is withering which is a way of drying the tea leaves in the factory. It is essentially removing the moisture content of the leaves. Initially the tea leaves have 70 – 80% moisture. The leaves are placed in a trough (long wooden box) and covered with a wire mesh. Strong air is blown through the boxes with the help of fans placed at one end. This helps drying the tea leaves uniformly.
Rolling: After withering is completed, the tea leaves are taken to the next stage of rolling. Here mechanical rollers twist and press the leaves. Usually the tea leaves are subjected to two rolling of 40 minutes each and the rolling pressure varies. In between the rolling, sifting takes place where the coarse leaves are separated from the finer leaves with the help of machines. The step is carefully monitored so that leaves do not break and overheating does not take place.
Fermentation: The third step is to ferment the leaves. In this stage, the leaves are kept on thin and clean trays in a cool and humid environment. Through bio-chemical process the fermentation takes place. Usually the process lasts between 2-4 hours depending on the quality of tea being produced. It is at this stage when the tea leaves actually start developing their natural aroma and flavor.
Drying: After fermentation, the tea leaves are once again dried in large mechanical dryers. They are fed in through conveyor belts from one end. The belts continuously vibrate and then take the tea through a temperature range of 115-120°C and bring out ready tea from the other end. The process lasts for about 20-30 minutes. At the end the tea is almost completely moisture free.
Sorting and Packing: The final stage is to sort or separate the different grades of tea leaves based on their size and then pack them. There are automatic sorting machines that sort the tea leaves based on their sizes (full leaves, broken, fanning and dust).
Processing of Black, Green and White Darjeeling Tea: Note that all types of tea do not go through the same processing steps. In fact depending on the flavour and quality of tea, within each step delicate variations are made. The Black Darjeeling Tea usually goes through all the steps mentioned above. In case of Darjeeling Green tea, the leaves are first withered. The withering takes place between 8 to 24 hours to remove the moisture. After that they are steamed, as a result the oxidation is prevented to take place and the enzymes are neutralized. Then the leaves are rolled to different degrees and again dried.  Processing of White tea is somewhat similar to that of green tea. White tea is only steamed and then dried. There is no withering, rolling or oxidation done keeping all the natural ingredients and the chemicals almost intact.

The World's Most Expensive Teas

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world, beating all sodas, alcohols, and coffee combined! Almost all countries in the world have a rich tea history dating back a thousand years or more. Most teas started out mostly as medicine prescribed by the ancient medicine men. However, lately, teas have become much more than just medicine with people shelling out thousands of dollars to procure rare teas. Most of these teas are handcrafted, making them extremely labor intensive and hence expensive, while other teas are just difficult to produce. While for the regular tea drinkers, even a good quality Darjeeling tea would be on the pricey side, tea connoisseurs pay big money for the best teas across the globe. Here are the five most expensive teas in the world:

Yellow Gold Tea Buds: At around $105.71 USD for 50 grams (around 25 cups), this tea is both as expensive as, and as pretty as a piece of jewellery. These loose leaf teas are painted with real 24 carats gold. These are not only non-toxic, but also pretty healthy to consume. This tea is, however, sold exclusively in Singapore. There is only one mountain in the world where the tea gets harvested, and - to make it even rarer - it's only harvested one day a year, and only with special golden scissors, and only from the top part of the tree.


Panda dung tea: Pandas only eat wild bamboo, and they only absorb around 30% of the nutrients in their food. That leaves 70% in their excrement, which gets into the tea. The dung is used to fertilise the tea. A Chinese entrepreneur decided to cultivate tea leaves in the mountains of Ya'an, Sichuan and fertilise the leaves with the Panda dung.


Da Hong Pao: This tea is legendary, in that it dates back as early as the 18th century (the Dao Guang Era), and is still being talked about to this day. There are many variations of this tea, but the premium one is part of the most expensive list. So the Chinese government sold this tea in 1998 in an auction to the highest bidder, and received $9,00,000 for it. That comes out to around $1,250,000 per kilogram. A few Chinese government officials describe the tea as having a rich floral taste that lingers in the mouth, even several minutes after drinking.


Gyokuro: This tea is known as Sencha, which is a Japanese green tea that's made without grinding the tea leaves. This tea sells for about $65 USD for 100grams. It's made in Japans Uji district.


Tieguanyin: The most expensive tea in the world, Tieguanyin comes from China and sells at $3000 per kg. It's named after a Buddhist deity called Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy). It's an oolong tea, meaning its oxidization is somewhere between that of black and green teas. Luckily for anyone who buys this expensive tea, a leaf can be brewed up to seven times before it loses its flavour.

Tea vs Coffee: The Health Debate

Most start their day with a hearty cup of coffee while some cannot do without their cup of tea. Coffee to most is like a drug that jolts them out if their sleep, drives away fatigue, and gives an energy boost. Coffee can cause a person to be addicted due to its high caffeine content, while tea can provide the needful caffeine fix without the jitters.


Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. It even tops beer in terms of popularity. Coffee too is hugely popular. Both drinks, however, have been around for a long time. Tea was discovered by the Emperor of China in 2737 BC. According to legend, the emperor was drinking a cup of boiling water when leaves from a nearby plant flew into the cup releasing a beautiful colour and aroma. Intrigued, the emperor took a sip and was pleasantly surprised by its flavour. Tea then became popular among scholars and priests in China and Japan, who drank tea to stay awake, study, and meditate. This is perhaps why the hot drink has always been associated with mindfulness, calm, spirituality, and solid health.


Coffee, however, did not appear until much later. It is generally believed to have been discovered by a goatherd Kaldi in the Ethiopian highlands. Kaldi noticed that his goats became hyperactive after eating berries from a certain tree. This was the coffee plant. Coffee then spread to monks at monasteries, where they drank the beverage to keep them alert while praying. From there, it began making its way across the Arabian Peninsula. Both coffee and tea remained Eastern beverages for a long time; coffee didn't even arrive in Europe until the 17th century.



A lot of research has been conducted on the benefits of both tea and coffee. Researchers have focused on specific potential benefits of coffee, with some studies finding that coffee might have the ability to reduce the incidence of dementia or Alzheimer's or even Type Two diabetes. Coffee has higher caffeine content than tea, meaning its levels of the stimulant might help people with asthma by relaxing the lung's airways. Caffeine also helps in constricting blood vessels in the brain and reducing migraines. A Harvard School of Public Health research suggested that while coffee does not harm the body in any way, it did not provide any long term health benefits either.



Tea, on the other hand, is filled with antioxidants and potential cancer-fighting properties. According to the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, tea contains polyphenol compounds, which are antioxidants that might aid in cancer prevention. Some studies, however, suggest otherwise. Hence, while concluding evidence is not present in this matter, tea is still considered to be a medicinal beverage with therapeutic properties. All types of tea are made from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis, which wilt and oxidize after harvesting; oxidation results in the breaking down of chemicals. The amount of oxidation that occurs in the leaves is what defines different types of teas, from black tea to white tea, and of course green tea. Polyphenols in particular are a group of plant chemicals that are believed to be involved in health benefits — especially in green tea. Teas with the highest levels of polyphenols are usually brewed hot teas rather than cold (and sugary) bottled teas. Polyphenols in green tea, and theaflavins and thearubigins in black tea, contain free radicals that might protect cells from DNA damage.

Health Benefits of Darjeeling Tea

All know the health benefits that are gained from drinking green tea. But one does not know that even black teas are beneficial to health. The UK Tea Council refers to Darjeeling as the "Champagne of Teas," in honour of its exquisite flavour as well as its multiple health benefits. Darjeeling tea is a black tea grown at the foot of the Himalayas, in the Darjeeling region of northern India.

Antioxidant Components: All types of tea contain antioxidants, and black teas that are allowed to ferment during processing, like Darjeeling, are especially rich in several of these components, including two large, complex compounds called theaflavins and thearubigins. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, unstable and potentially harmful chemicals that form during digestion or in your organs when you're exposed to toxic compounds. Over time, free radicals can damage cellular membranes and DNA, raising your risk of chronic illness. A review paper published in the June 2005 issue of "Preventive Medicine" described how black tea neutralizes free radicals, calling tea a convenient source of these beneficial compounds that can be consumed daily.

Cardiovascular Benefits: Regularly consuming black tea such as Darjeeling might have benefits for your cardiovascular health. A study proved that drinking five servings of black tea daily lowered blood cholesterol significantly in subjects consuming a moderately low-fat diet, compared to non-tea drinkers on the same diet. Black tea may also benefit your arteries, according to a study. The research involved subjects with coronary artery disease who drank either black tea or water daily for four weeks. The tea-drinking group experienced widening of arteries, compared to controls, potentially increasing blood flow to their organs. The positive effect of tea on arteries might also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease over time.
Benefits for Bones: Compounds in Darjeeling tea may also help increase the density of your bones. Several studies evaluated women who drink tea regularly and found they tend to have higher bone density, compared to non-tea drinkers. Research conducted found that consuming black tea is likely to strengthen bones, but larger clinical trials are still needed to confirm this.

Darjeeling tea is generally considered safe, but no minimum effective amount that benefits your health has been determined. The tea also contains caffeine, generally about one-half the amount in a cup of coffee, or 40 to 70 milligrams in a cup serving, depending on the strength of the tea. For some people, too much caffeine can make sleeping difficult, cause feelings of nervousness or increase heart rate. Limit your intake of caffeine if you're pregnant or breast-feeding, or opt for decaffeinated versions of Darjeeling tea. Adding milk to your tea might also reduce its effectiveness of its antioxidant compounds, according to current research. If you take prescription medications or have questions about the possible benefits of tea, talk to your doctor to determine if drinking Darjeeling tea might help you.

The Processing of Darjeeling Tea

Darjeeling tea has a highly customised system of manufacture, catering to the needs and tastes of particular countries or individuals. In the UK, for example, a stronger tea is preferred as opposed to Japan where a lighter tea is more popular.

A fine Darjeeling begins its journey at the gardens where it is picked. The soil, elevation, rain, drainage, and overall weather affect the growth and quality of the tea. The expert pickers begin work at 7 a.m. when the leaves are still covered in dew and the pick until 4 p.m. The pickers carefully choose only the fine top "two leaves and a bud." They bring their bounty to the factory to be weighed two or three times a day because the leaf has to start the processing close to when it is picked, as it will otherwise begin changing chemically in the basket.

The Orthodox style of manufacture used in Darjeeling requires much time and care. After weighing, the leaves are spread out on troughs with the utmost of care, because if the leaves break, quality automatically begins to degrade, and this may damage the tea so much that it cannot be rolled. It is on these troughs that the process of withering, or removal of moisture, is carried out. Many say that the quality of a Darjeeling's taste is "in the wither" and the tea garden managers pay particular attention to this stage of manufacture. Withering of the leaves can take anywhere between 2 hours to 20 hours depending on the humidity, climate, and time of year. Cool air fans are used to remove up to75% of the moisture from the leaves. If, however, the leaves are wet from moisture or rain, this cool air is replaced with hot air. In the Unorthodox manufacture only 30% of moisture needs to be removed, and withering can be completed in 2 or 3 hours, as hot air is always used. This method is never used for Darjeeling tea.

The tea is then rolled on a rolling machine which twists the leaf. The main purpose of this step is to prepare the leaf for fermenting by rupturing the cell membranes so that oxygen begins to act with its polyphenols, a main element of tea, also called catechins. Care is taken not to provide too much heat from the friction of the rollers because this can damage the essential oils, which are developed during this time. Some very delicate teas are rolled by hand.

Tea is then brought to the "fermentation room," where the tea is oxidized over a period of two to four hours. The rolling and oxidation processes require the tea to be exposed to cool, fresh air. This part of the factory is thus usually left open to the mountain air.

The leaf is then taken for "firing," or, drying, to stop further fermentation by deactivating the enzymes, and to remove almost all of the remaining moisture in the leaf, hopefully down to about 2% moisture content. The tea dryer exposes the leaves to hot dry air at regulated, varying temperatures for 20 or 30 minutes. Tea is then graded by size through vibrating wire mesh sifters. Very delicate teas are hand sifted with flat baskets with various sized openings. The broken tea leaves and tea dust are of poor quality and are used mainly in tea bags, while the whole leaves are of the highest quality.

Regular observation and control of temperature, humidity, duration and rate of moisture loss are all vital, and human observation through all of the senses is the only way to coax the best flavour and texture out of the leaves. Experienced tea managers assess moisture content merely by sight and touch. Smell and look of the leaves in the fermentation room set the timing for drying and so on. Of course, the final stage of crafting the tea is to taste it, and Darjeeling planters have a finely tuned sense of taste and a language to describe it that is all their own.


Authors Bio: Rickey is working in The Tea Trove and also an avid blogger. He writes regularly on several blogs. Like in this article he writes about the preparation of Darjeeling Tea

The Benefits of Having Darjeeling Tea- Buy Darjeeling Tea Today

Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea is known as shepherd's tea is made from leaves of plants from the Sideritis species. This beverage is essentially herbal and is drunk by people not only because of its taste but also for its unique benefits. This tea is made from freshly harvested herbs in the Mediterranean. The leaves of this plant are available as dried form. The tea is easily available at some grocery stores and health food stores. The Darjeeling Tea is filled with natural antioxidants and other important properties that will help the body in various ways.


Flavonoids and Antioxidants

In 2011, the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" published a study on the flavonoid content of all plants found within the Sideities genus of plants. The plants has an overall species of 150 trees, researchers found out that this particular species showed to have anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties. It was also found the leaves were rich in a number of natural oxidants like flavonoids and few essential oils. When you buy Darjeeling Tea, you ensure that these properties come on your cup of beverage.


Regulates Blood Pressure

Another publication issued in 2012 titled the "Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology" found out that the extracts made from Sideritis helps in lowering down the blood pressure by making the blood vessels to relax. This animal study measured the arterial blood pressure and revealed that a dose of Sideritis extract led to the blood vessels dilation, thus enabling the pressure levels to fall and reduce the stress on the muscle of the heart. Though the tea is perfect for dealing with blood pressure, it cannot be considered as a constant treatment for heart conditions. More research and experiments are required on this matter.


Protects The Digestive System

Again, in 2012, "Planta Medica" published an animal study on the effects of Greek Mountain tea on the gastrointestinal health and disorder of the animals. Researchers found out that taking an oral dose of this beverage led to less inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. This happened most likely because of the presence of antioxidants and phenols found naturally in a plant. The researchers also found out that this supplement led to the reduction of toxicity in the body for long term. The study proved beneficial and proved why people should buy Darjeeling Tea; however, it did not offered any result for gastrointestinal complications, as more study was needed to perform the research. Buy Tea Online from any tea brands. Many sellers also offer this tea online.



Brewing The Tea

When brewing this Darjeeling Tea, especially from fresh plants, you can use the leaves, stems of the plant. Place around six to eight inches of the tea leaves and pieces into the boiling water and then lower down the heat. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. For dried tea leaves, add 2 tablespoons in a teapot and let it rest for five minutes. Add flavors as you want and the tea is done.


Authors BIO: Rickey is an avid blogger, he writes various blogs on several topics. Like in this article he writes about varieties benefits of organic teas such as Darjeeling Tea, Oolong Tea etc.

 

Effectiveness of Darjeeling tea and Indian Green tea

Tea can never be passé. All of us love tea; however, some prefer coffee over tea. Coffee lovers are in love with the caffeine. Caffeine gives a sudden jerk to nerve making it active. Tea on the other hand has less amount of caffeine. However, there are many side effects of caffeine as well, looking into this matter of fact; tea is much safer and healthier drink. This new generation is in love with the iced tea. Nonetheless, green tea is the new trend. Green tea is an energy booster with much lesser amount of caffeine. Turkish tea is quite popular in various parts of the world. Turkish people relish on tea. It is an obsession, an addiction, a daily routine, a conversation starter and lots more. It is cultivated domestically on the black sea coast. Darjeeling tea is Kolkata is more popular tea in the world.

Kolkata is a mesmerizing place and so are people living in this place. Kolkatans never say no to experiments and so did they welcome with open hands the green tea that has a lot of health benefits and is also very tasty. One will never have to compromise on taste while drinking Turkish tea. It is usually taken black. Green tea has a wide variety of health benefits. Well, one can contradict saying that all tea in the world has some health benefits or the other, but Turkish tea is a step ahead. Apart from the general health benefits like antioxidants, flavonoids, curing respiratory system etc. it also takes care of your teeth. Amazing Green tea has proved to be the best and most effective drink among all the tea in the world.

Another health drink that has gain popularity over time is the Indian green tea. Over decades people from all around the world have explored India. However, it was the English people who explored the hilly regions and found the importance of the green tea and began to export them to England. It is a popular drink that has over time proved to fight cancer. Today, Indian green tea is exported to places all around the world. They are best known for the ¼ percentage of caffeine than coffee. It is less acidic in nature and therefore, washed away all the acidic waste from the body. Availability of Indian green tea in Kolkata is huge and Indians have welcomed this with open hand as well. Indian green tea has the detoxifying effects that help to boost the immune system and also balances the metabolic system of the body.

You should always be careful about the drink that you intake mainly because now-a-day, where most of the people are usually falling sick for their low immune power, Indian green tea and Darjeeling tea might be of huge help. These teas are best when you take them as the afternoon and evening breaker. Choose your foods appropriate. When you can get herbal remedies for such chronic diseases then why will you take harmful medicines that have lots of side effects?

History Of Green Tea

Green Tea is more or less same as the Turkish coffee. In fact Green Tea was known as Turkish coffee in Greece until Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974. At this point of time, due to some political reasons, the Greek people planned to name it as Green Tea. However, the preparation process of both is identical.

In order to make the thick Green Tea, you will have to roast the coffee beans and make a fine powder out of it. You can then mix the coffee, water and sugar in a special tiny aluminum or copper pot which is commonly known as briki and prepare the coffee in a low heat. It is specific of the Green Tea that you will have to add the sugar at the initial stage of brewing it. There are mainly four ways of brewing Green Tea:

Sketos – This type of the coffee has zero added sugar and is drunk raw. While preparing this you will not have add anything before the preparation you can simple add water and coffee or milk and coffee and brew it in the low heat. Since, Green Tea is stronger than any other coffee in the world it is always better to add a little sugar otherwise that taste is absolutely bitter.

• Meoligi – This type has very little sugar added to it, say about half a teaspoon.
• Metrios – This type has an equal amount of coffee and sugar. So if you are brewing the coffee with 2 teaspoon of coffee then the sugar amount should also be the same.
• Glykos – The measurement of sugar in this coffee is more than the amount of coffee used to brew the coffee.
• Glykys – This is a specific variation in the Green Tea because this type is deliberately boiled more than once and later mixed with foam. This kills the bitter taste of the coffee and adds the soothing and smooth taste of the milk, sugar and foam to the coffee.

Unlike other parts of the world, people in Greece prefer to drink coffee neat without adding any spices to it. Drinking coffee is Athenians' favorite pass time. Traditional Green Tea is still served in most Green Tea. Nine out of ten bars and cafes serve excellent coffee in Greece. Compromising on the taste, coffee brewing is now-a-days mainly done by the machines, but the real taste of coffee is never better than freshly baked coffee beans that have been boiled with milk, water and sugar.

The tradition of brewing coffee in Greece was taken aback with a new form of coffee; Frappe, a chilly concoction which took Greece by storm in between late 60s and 70s. It was very easy to make Frappe; you just have to mix all the ingredients, shake it and finally serving it with ice. As Greek people love to experiment with coffee they loved the new form of icy chilled coffee that was coined against their tradition.

It is no wonder that the Greek market has broken all possible rules to give space to the new and modernized form of coffees. If you planning to take a trip to Greece then make it a point that you do go to a Green Tea to especially taste their traditional Green Tea of Greece.

Authors Bio: Rickey is regularly writes on Various blogs on several topics, like in this article, he tries to elaborate something about Green Tea and its varieties

Know More about the Green Tea

"A lone, lonely, loner" – if that's what you are, Tea and a good story book can be your friend. Some people in the world just love to be alone and enjoy their solitude. In a sunlit winter morning what can be more refreshing than warm wrap up with a Tea, soothing music and a book to read. That it you are all set for the weekend. Well to put it correctly not all Tea lovers are book lovers.

Therefore, you can also enjoy Tea watching movies or a Cricket match. What matter the most is the flavor of the Tea that adds to the ambiance and helps you to think. If you are Tea lover, you probably know where to find the best Tea in the world. Some of the finest Tea is brewed in Greece. Green Tea is popular for the roasted Tea beans that are broken and mixed to make Tea.

When you are traveling to Kolkata, do not forget to take out a separate time and visiting at least two to three Greek cafes. What matters the most is finding the appropriate Green Tea that can serve you the perfect Tea and the side dishes that will give you a memorable taste. Making Tea is no joke and not everyone can do that. The perfect Tea will have a mixture of bitterly sweet taste. People all around the world, especially the ones who are fond of Tea, prefer to have it with brown sugar that mixes with caffeine and give the perfect flavor. The normal sugar actually kills the bitter taste of the Tea and tends to make it sweeter than it actually should taste.


In Kolkata almost 90% of the people know how to make a perfect Tea with correct and appropriate mixing of all the ingredients. You can taste Green Tea from any random shops of Greece or choose to visit a popular restaurant. Knowing about a place prior your visit is not possible but it’s true that none of the Greek cafes will disappoint you where Tea is concerned.


Tea lovers are very selective about their Tea and therefore, numerous Tea shops are running successfully satisfying their regular customers. Greek cafes are there to not only satisfy your taste but also to make sure that the ambiance of the place attract more and more customers day in and out. The Tea lovers are one of a kind and they expect the perfect mood to be set in the café that they choose to go to. Long gone are the days where the owner of the café could satisfy their customers with white sugar, now there are options like brown sugar, sugar crystals, honey and low calorie sweetener. Honey is a sweetener that adds not only the sweetness to the Tea but brings a new taste to the Tea. Not only that there are supplements for sugar, but there are supplements for the whitener as well. The whiteners may include whole, semi-skimmed, skimmed milk and poured cream. People do not look for a Tea Cup now-a-days but whole experience. People in Greece know very well how to make their Green Tea better and successful.