Going to Darjeeling in my mind

‘The name Darjeeling came from the Tibetan words, dorje (thunderbolt) and ling (place or land), means the land of the thunderbolt’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darjeeling_district).


When I started this blog, I wrote a post about wanting to go to the Nuwara plantations in the mountains in Sri Lanka to see where one of the nicest Ceylons is grown. It was still the dead of winter, and I looked out at the Bavarian snow-covered rooftops. I imagined a nice, cool summer day in the Sri Lankan mountains, where maybe it was warm in the daytime but cool at night. So now my dream is to go to the Darjeeling or Assam region of India. But because I’m getting more and more into Darjeeling tea, I’ll start there.

I’ve been poring over travel guides/websites while I pour my tea. Haven’t yet been to India. Over the years, I’ve tried to plan the perfect first journey to the subcontinent. It’s all a bit daunting. Honestly? I don’t even know where I’d want to go first. Someone told me I should definitely start in Mumbai the first time around just to get acclimated. Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

The things most often associated with Darjeeling are the world-renowned tea and Tenzing Norgay (Sir Edmund Hillary’s Sherpa). All over the region, you’ll find references to Tenzing. From shop signs that use his name to attract your business to people naming their children after this historically important man.

Read an article in the FAZ about Darjeeling, and now I’ve decided I’m going there. As soon as possible.

Finally a Darjeeling I like

Have said it here before, but I’m not much of a Darjeeling drinker. I like stronger teas and the Darjeelings I’ve had tend to be very refined and difficult for me to appreciate. That is until now. There’s a high-end Darjeeling that I tried today called Singbulli that I can certainly recommend. I just did a bit of research on it and now I know why I like it.

After its name on the package comes the acronym FTGFOP1. So I first had to find out what that meant. Finest, Tippy, Golden, Flowery, Orange Pekoe. Apparently this is the crème de la crème of Darjeelings. Or at least one of them. The tips of the leaves are flowery and really smell heavenly. I tried it next to a middle of the road Darjeeling blend called ‘Himalaya’ and the contrast was shocking. The blend was lighter in shade and was rather nondescript. The Singbulli tasted of flowers and was surprisingly strong.

The tea I tasted was a second flush which is picked in May/June and is said to be fuller in flavor. Haven’t tried the other flushes, but I can attest to the fact that this is a deep, fragrant taste. When it comes to other black teas like Ceylons, the higher the altitude, the better the tea. Have read in from a few sources that Darjeelings are grown in valleys and needn’t come from the highest of altitudes. This Darjeeling Singbulli is grown in the Mirik valley at a height of about 3,600 feet. Go procure some. You’ll be glad you did.