This exceptional tea, classified FTGFOP1 (Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1), offers an unparalleled sensory experience, embodying the quintessence of high-quality teas. It comes mainly from renowned plantations nestled in the Darjeeling hills. This region is famous for producing some of the finest teas in the world, and our tea is no exception.

Enjoy an incredibly light cup, rich in delicate and refreshing flavors. This tea is distinguished by its floral and fruity notes, which blend harmoniously to offer an unparalleled depth of aromas. Every sip delights the senses, offering a subtle and sophisticated tasting experience.

Darjeeling tea is an exceptional black tea from the Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Darjeeling is said to be a black tea because it is oxidized, unlike green tea which is not.

The analogy with Champagne rests on precise agronomic and botanical foundations. While more than 99% of the black tea produced in India (especially in Assam) comes from the local variety var. assamica — large leaves, fast growth, full-bodied infusion — Darjeeling is a historical exception. Its gardens are planted from the original Chinese variety, Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, introduced in the mid-19th century by British botanists and surgeons. This variety produces smaller, slow-growing leaves, adapted to the rigors of altitude, which concentrate an incomparable aromatic complexity at the expense of volume.

Each season in Darjeeling offers a radical biochemical transformation of the leaf. Our tea is typically a spring harvest — a First Flush.

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas in northeastern India, Darjeeling enjoys a peculiar climate that contributes to the superior quality of its tea. The region receives about 309cm of annual rainfall, and its cool temperatures as well as its mountain breezes create ideal conditions for growing tea.

Tea was introduced to the region by the British in the early 19th century, with the first plantations established by Arthur Campbell, a British surgeon, in 1841. Campbell imported tea seeds from China and began cultivation in the Darjeeling mountains. Over time, Darjeeling tea gained worldwide fame for its quality and distinctive taste.

The tea gardens of Darjeeling cover an area of 19,000 hectares, spread over seven main valleys. Women, mainly from Nepalese communities, harvest the leaves by hand at dawn, while the dew is still present, in order to preserve the quality and flavor of the leaves.

Discover how to steep your Darjeeling tea to preserve all its precious aromatic notes.

Discover Arnaud's recipes to make with our Darjeeling.

Climate change is not a distant threat in Darjeeling: it is redefining harvests right now. A meteorological study of more than 20 years conducted in Kurseong demonstrates notable changes: the average annual temperature has increased by 1°F (0.56°C), annual precipitation has fallen by 30 inches (76.2cm), and relative humidity has dropped by 16%. The increasing scarcity of fog patches exposes the leaves to overly aggressive direct sunlight, which stresses the leaves' stomata and alters the synthesis of aromatic polyphenols.

The lack of winter rains delays the emergence of spring buds, reducing the volumes of the precious First Flush — plucking yields have gone from 6-7kg per day and per historic plucker to less than 2kg today. The tea bushes planted in the colonial era are now over 100 to 110 years old, making them all the more sensitive to extreme droughts.