The Elusive Sources of Darjeeling Fragrance: an Insider Treks Through the Famous High, Steep Gardens

By Kevin Gascoyne

“THE CHAMPAGNE OF TEAS,” a marketing phrase so often used for Darjeeling’s First and Second Flush teas, is a bold claim of superiority. Growers in the tea gardens of this Himalayan district have reached and maintained a level of quality in black teas that remains unchallenged; at auction they fetch some of the highest prices in the world. And now Darjee…