Darjeeling

Darjeeling is unquestionably India’s best-known tea. It is grown in the Himalayan foothills in West Bengal, at elevations up to 6300 ft. One factor in the unique flavor of Darjeeling is that the tea plants grown there are from China or a China hybrid, which are rarely found outside of China.
The top two leaves and bud of the plant are called the flush. The first flush of the year is picked from March to early May. This is a spring tea and is quite fresh and floral almost similar to a green tea in color. Also similar to green tea, it is quite astringent and can be easily over-steeped.
The second flush appears from May onward until the monsoon arrives in mid-June. The flavor is mellow compared to the spring flush but with a much more full-bodied copper liquor and luscious fruity flavors and aroma with much less astringency.
By October the weather clears and the Autumnal flush season begins and extends through November. This tea has a delicate flavor that is distinct from either Spring or Summer teas with a coppery color and a sweet fresh nose.