Darjeeling Black Tea Manor | which manor is good? Musk Black Tea varieties of Castleton Manor

Musk tea may mean more to the rest of the world than to Darjeeling. The charm of tea lies largely in people's belief in its taste-some are even comparable to red wine.

For some, this is a turning point, a misinterpretation of the obvious and predictable nature (and taste) of tea.

But few people talk about this technology, the people who brew it and where it originated when they come into contact with musk wine.

It was a sunny afternoon and the hillside was thick green. For those who visit Darjeeling during the winter peak, this is not a normal sight.

Always think that everything around is covered by mist, can not see the sun and green. "it is not common to see buds at this time of year. Even I was surprised to see the flowers in the garden still in full bloom, "said the real estate manager with surprise and delight. Gazing at the green miracle that covers his entire estate at the roadside 4000 feet above sea level. The area in front of which is planted with plants is still plump and looks green. "this is the starting point of the Musk Valley. This is the best musk tea in Darjeeling. "

Castleton Tea Garden, which has a history of 130 years, is a famous real estate in Darjeeling tea producing area.

In a world of mass production and unscrupulous mixing, tea tasting is the norm, and Castleton is one of the few tea gardens dedicated to preserving tea heritage and unique quality. Fortunately, it is this garden that produces musk tea, which is recognized by the world as "champagne in tea".

Interestingly, the estate has never really been publicized. Not even musk tea. The company has never felt the need to do so because Castleton has loyal followers among tea lovers around the world. These people waited piously and patiently for the agricultural products of the season, and some even traveled for days to taste the freshness of each tea. "I remember a few years ago, on a Sunday night, a Japanese lady showed up at the factory. We have just finished the season, so we will finish our day's work at lunchtime and close the facility until the next morning. She was unhappy to find that the shop was closed that day. She called the hospital early the next morning and told us that she needed to see Castleton before she left town. She likes our tea very much. The next morning, when she came to the factory, she began to cry at the door.

Neither Vikas nor his factory manager, D B Gurung, "understood". I tried to explain the tears of joy. I talked about the appeal of traditional teahouses like Castleton and how our (Teabox) customers seek deeper connections with their teacups to better appreciate tea. The people in the room exchanged puzzled glances. I was told that one of their priorities was to ensure the best quality of tea in order to maintain the estate's long-term heritage and reputation. Everything else, including emotion, is secondary.

Castleton Castleton Manor

Castleton was planted in 1885. It faces north and southwest, ranging from 2500 to 5000 feet above sea level. At first glance, it is not a huge and spectacular manor. The ridge is not magnificent, but low, and the quality of the whole manor is uneven. But even with its flaws, the scenery here is perfect.

When I went to the manor, winter had just begun. I thought it would be a lethargy in the off-season. But, surprisingly, the place is full of vitality. Tea pickers are busy pruning tea trees or replanting cleared parts. Several sprinklers have been watering the westward part of the Muscartel Valley, which is now soaked by the bright sun and water at night. There is no gray and cold, all around is green and bright, this is likely to be the beginning of spring.

The manor is mainly divided into two parts: Castleton and Springside. Each part is further divided, and as far as I know, all parts are named after very strange things. Bhalu Khop (bear cave), Dhobitar (laundry line), Baseri (graveyard)... None of this is connected, it's just weird. Even the manor itself has many names. "some people call it Cuseri, some people call it Gorisanka. The people here gave the place and these areas their names, and we chose to keep it that way, "Vikas explained."

About 70% of the heritage is covered by traditional porcelain shrubs, some of which are more than 130 years old. The rest of the estate is planted with high-quality asexual varieties, including AV2 and Seeyok 1240, as well as Assam hybrids. Most high-quality clones are planted higher on the manor, some up to 5000 feet high, which is about the height at which tea can grow. At this altitude, due to low oxygen and cold weather, plants grow slowly, forming a highly concentrated flavor, bright and rich flavor-two essential qualities for a good cup of tea. Between 4500 and 3000 feet above sea level, the manor consists mainly of tea trees. With plenty of sunshine and mild climate, tea trees blossom more easily. In addition, at this height, you can also find the perfect tea for producing musk wine.

"it used to be one of the wettest areas in the country, once second only to Chalapunji. Recently, however, the distribution of rainfall has become very irregular. It's raining cats and dogs, but you don't know when it's going to rain, "Vikas said. Recently, the estate received about 200 mm to 500 mm of rainfall between July and September. This makes it difficult to "capture" musk wines. "the window for catching musk grapes is very short, only 10 days, sometimes two weeks, and the grapes only grow at the end of summer, around June. In Castleton, you can't miss this picking window, "says retired planter Aaron Kumar Arun Kumar Gomden. He managed the Castleton factory from 1984 to 2000.

Mysterious musk

In the world of tea, there is no topic more controversial than musk tea. Experts disagree on what exactly is musk tea. Some people say that it refers to the juicy quality of summer black tea similar to cantaloupe and grapes, while others say it has a spicy fruit flavor. For some, it's a matter of aroma, while for others, it's a special taste, and no two musk lovers will change the taste they choose.

"in fact, this is a special quality. It's hard to describe, "Gulong's mysterious description of it." He has worked at Castleton for several years, but has been managing the Seeyok factory for more than 30 years. The Seeyok factory is one of the many famous tea gardens in Darjeeling and is recently famous for its own brand of musk tea. I had hoped that he would clarify the whole legend of musk tea, but what I got was a lot of illusory things.

"you know, I'm just a tea maker. This is my job to make the most delicious tea. With musk tea, you just... Know that... When you make musk tea. The leaves look different and smell better, even in the trough. " He went on.

Arun Kumar Gomden was the first to produce musk black tea in Castleton, as early as 1985. He was a factory manager at the time, and that summer, the manor produced the most unique kind of tea, which was an unusual thing. "this kind of tea is very strong, more fragrant than ordinary summer tea, and the aroma is very unique. It is rich, filled with the taste of the softest fruit in the mouth, a bit like a grape, more and more intense as it flows. This is not typical Chinese summer black tea. This is unfair to this kind of tea. So we came up with the word muscatel. It has nothing to do with musk. Let me be clear. But because it tasted like grapes that year, we named the tea after Muscat, which is widely used in wine making, "Mr. Gomden said."

In that year, Musk Tea (FTGFOP1 grade) first appeared on the world tea market and was sold at auction in Calcutta at the highest price. Since then, Castleton's musk tea has reached the highest price at local tea auctions six times. Prestigious awards, including the 2014 North American Tea Congress Gold Award, have become the norm; they are proudly displayed in the wine tasting room on the first floor of the factory. In 1992, the DJ-42 FTGFOP1 sold at auction in Calcutta for a whopping 13001 rupees per kilogram, setting a world record.

Now most of Darjeeling's estates produce musk black tea. But none of them can meet Castleton's standards. Some people even call Castleton the true musk black tea, and other musk black teas are based on this. Jungpana Tea Garden is one of the top tea gardens in Darjeeling, located to the east of Nine cities. As far as musk tea is concerned, it is closest to its competitors, but Vikas is not worried. "every time we visit a nearby garden, they provide us with every kind of tea, except musk black tea. They will never provide us with musk black tea, "he said proudly.

Summer is coming, and the whole estate burst out with all kinds of colors and fragrances. Summer in Darjeeling begins in April and reaches its peak around May. The initial Ganni (a lot of) summer tea tastes lighter. But at the end of summer, that is, around June, when the weather is wet and rainy, stronger tea is produced. Musk black tea is produced from this batch of black tea. Musk tea can not be seen physically, and there are no marks in essence. It is only when the chinary leaves just picked in late summer are sent to the factory trough that growers know if they can be used to make musk black tea. "it takes an experienced grower. A novice who treats a fully capable porcelain as ordinary tea will destroy it. From the moment you feel it, you need to take special care of these leaves that will eventually turn into musk black tea, "Gulong said.

These "capable" leaves are usually subjected to temporary wilting and prolonged oxidation. They must be fried properly, or cooked properly, in order to extract the quality of musk black tea. "when you are making musk black tea, the whole factory is filled with fragrance. I can almost smell mango, and sometimes the smell of peach is all over the floor," Vikas said. The others nodded in agreement.

Myth and truth

"what is musk tea?" "you may also come across a story in which a fruit fly is said to infect tea trees, fermenting its compounds and making them stronger. The story is a far cry from the truth. "how do pests create great agricultural products?" If not controlled in time, pests will destroy the entire arable area. " Vikas asked. Logically speaking, this is correct. In fact, Chinese tea plants are very sensitive to pests because they are naturally occurring tea varieties that are not affected by any laboratory treatment, unlike clonal plants, which are produced in the laboratory through vegetative reproduction of certain ideal qualities. Chinese plants are often affected by thrips and jasmine, but under controlled conditions, it is harmless and you can still make good tea with its leaves. But musk tea is the result of careful care that extends to leaves from the moment the plants are trimmed, picked, processed and packaged.

Today, the commodity market price of musk tea is between 1600 and 7000 rupees per kilogram, rising steadily year after year. Demand is so high that buyers are willing to pay a ridiculously high premium for a special musk black tea. This will only complicate the lives of musk black tea producers like Vikas. "Let me tell you, this is not an easy garden. Everything here has its own set of challenges. "whether you get permanent (and skilled) labor in unstable rains in the middle of the year, you can't predict what challenges this season will bring to you," he said. " The absenteeism rate of the manor has increased significantly in the past few years as tea pickers choose to withdraw from the tea industry. Because of this, Castleton has to rely heavily on seasonal labor, many of whom are unskilled and need to be trained in the right depilation techniques every time. In addition, there are complex terrain factors. Because the estate is widely distributed, across both sides of a national highway, which at some point crosses the garden, it is difficult for pickers to pick a large number of leaves in a round. "if we only pick buds from plants 5000 feet above sea level to make moonlight white tea, a collector can't collect more than a few kilograms of buds all day, because that's the kind of attention you need to give it."

Vikas has to give up a lot of productivity for the sake of quality. "I want to keep my reputation. The great planter created the manor. Can you believe that Castleton was seen as a morbid asset in the 1980s? Only after we have taken strict quality measures, including plant pruning, soil treatment and new irrigation techniques, can we grow healthy plants and produce tea such as musk black tea. So, if my plants can only produce x-quantity tea, I won't force them to produce more tea. At the end of the day, you must respect plants. "

It is this intense attention to leaves and this constant care of crops that makes Castleton do a good job in this area, making it one of the most popular luxury goods in India. To tell you the truth, tea like musk black tea has elusive qualities and mysterious charm, but it is a kind of fine porcelain leaves cultivated and processed with a great deal of love and attention. What makes it musk black tea is the ability to discover the potential of musk black tea. In my opinion, making musk black tea is a matter of talent, not skill. Castleton is where you appreciate talent.