First, second or autumn flush: choosing a Darjeeling
How the three picking seasons taste different in the cup, and which one to choose for mornings, guests or milk.
Keeping loose tea fresh through a Kolkata monsoon
Air, light, heat, damp and smell: the five things that spoil tea at home, and a simple way to beat each one.
Tea is a dried leaf, and like anything dried it wants to take up moisture and smells from the air around it. In Kolkata, where humidity sits above 80% for most of the monsoon, a pack of Darjeeling left open on the kitchen shelf can lose its brightness in three weeks. A few habits keep it tasting as it did on the day we packed it.
Keep tea away from air. Our pouches are airtight once sealed, so press out the air and close the zip properly each time. If you prefer a tin, choose one with a tight inner lid and fill it close to the top; a half-empty tin holds a lot of humid air. Do not keep more than a month’s tea in the tin you open daily. Leave the rest sealed.
Keep it away from light and heat. A cupboard on the far side of the kitchen from the stove is ideal. Avoid the shelf above the gas, the top of the fridge, and any window ledge.
Keep it away from smells. Tea absorbs the scent of anything nearby, so never store it next to masala dabbas, onions, soap or incense. Our masala chai blend should be kept in its own container for the same reason, so its ginger and cardamom do not drift into your Darjeeling. Never put tea in the fridge. Every time the cold pack is opened in a warm room, moisture settles on the leaf. Use Darjeeling first flush within six months, green tea within six, and Assam and chai within a year.
