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Britain has a history of tea-drinking dating to the 17th century. Today, 165 million cups of tea are consumed daily, compared to 70 million cups of coffee per day. Most English teas sold are blends, made from as many as 35 different varieties of tea leaves, which can come from China, India, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) or Africa. Each tea company composes its own blends, which become trade secrets, while many establishments that sell or serve tea devise their own "house blends." Some tea names for these blends refer to the best times to drink the tea, based on its…
China is the origin of many quality imported brands. If you shop at an Asian grocery store or market, you may have taken a liking to a certain Chinese brand. Something you might not like, however, is the scrutiny you have to apply in order to tell a certain product apart from another. The English writing, if it's there, may be small and hard to read. One way to bypass this difficulty is to familiarize yourself with the Chinese characters in the brand name or logo.
Britain exports tea to over 120 different countries around the world. The English tea industry has several big selling brands like Tetley, Typhoo, Brooke Bond P.G. Tips, and Twinings to name a few. There are over 1,500 different types of tea blends, with the English Breakfast blend, which is a mixture of Ceylon and Assam tea leaves, and Earl Grey, which is black China and Darjeeling tea leaves treated with citrus oil of bergamot, being two of the more distinctive English tea blends that are now sold.
Darjeeling tea is named for the region of India where it is grown. Located in the northeast corner of the country, the Darjeeling region nestles in the shadow of the snow-capped Himalayas. Around 86 tea estates produce tea uniquely exclusive in taste and limited availability due to a short growing season. True Darjeeling tea is not a blend of teas from different regions around the world but tea solely from the Darjeeling region.
Darjeeling tea is as easy to prepare as black, green or herbal tea. Darjeeling is considered to be one of the most precious and exotic flavors of tea, a principal factor for why it is generally more expensive than most teas. As such, preparing your Darjeeling absolutely perfectly is all the more necessary. The intensity of flavor of the tea is up to you, but there are a few hints the Tea Board of India suggests for brewing the perfect cup of Darjeeling.
Both Assam and Darjeeling teas are types of black teas grown from the tea bush Camellia sinensis. They are both named after the area in India where they grow. Both contain caffeine, and there is where the similarities end.
Darjeeling tea is considered to be the highest quality of black tea produced exclusively in India. Darjeeling tea is revered for its rich flavor and aroma and is considered the "champagne" of the tea world.
The Darjeeling tea industry produces $7.5 million of revenue annually, according to DarjeelingNews.net. Due to the limited geographic region where the tea can grow, Darjeeling tea is one of the most expensive teas in the world.
Tea has many health benefits. Get tips for brewing the perfect cup of Darjeeling tea in this free video clip about how to brew and steep tea.
