The difference between spring picking black tea and summer picking black tea in Darjeeling what is spring picking tea in Darjeeling is it black tea

A common question among Darjeeling black tea lovers is why the colors of spring-picked tea and tea soup in Darjeeling look so green. Although it is classified as black tea, from the appearance, Darjeeling dried tea color may be mistaken for green tea.

First of all, we have to understand the tea-making process of spring picking tea in Darjeeling.

The freshly picked leaves are sent to the factory to wither and lose 60% to 65% of their moisture. Because the spring leaves are very soft and silky, it only takes 10-15 minutes for the twister to twist it with minimal pressure.

Next, instead of letting it ferment / oxidize, the leaves are immediately brought into the drying chamber. Once the tea is dry, it can be sorted and packed. This is why Darjeeling Tea's spring-picked tea appears green because of little oxidation.

Darjeeling spring-picked tea is actually a slightly oxidized unbaked oolong tea.

However, because the Indian tea industry is not familiar with the tradition of oolong tea, and because the partial oxidation method is "new" to the local tea industry, this kind of tea is still called black tea.

Consider the different treatment of picking tea in Darjeeling in summer. Leaves in this season (May-June) have more "juice" and are more hardy.

They roll under more pressure in the kneading machine for 40-50 minutes, and then completely ferment / oxidize, a step that takes 2-3 hours.

Spring picking tea in Darjeeling is not always produced as it is now. This change is due to the Germans, who influenced Darjeeling tea farmers in the 1960s and 1970s and adopted a more subtle mode of production.

Darjeeling Tea's main market used to be Britain, where people prefer to add milk and sugar to their tea. So there is a need for a stronger tea, which is achieved through high oxidation.

However, it is understandable that British influence on Darjeeling tea industry has diminished since Britain was granted colonial independence.

Germans realize that many flavors are wasted by a "standardized" production process. They persuaded some growers to reduce rolling and oxidation while increasing wilt. This makes the taste of the tea lighter, but the aroma stronger. This also makes the tea between the Darjeeling tea gardens reach their own taste. In the end, this method of making "light and bright" tea became the new standard for spring tea picking in Darjeeling.