Darjeeling tea has been called the ‘queen of teas’. This tea grows high in the Himalayas and it is characterized by its delicate taste and shimmering golden color.
Even though Darjeeling tea is usually marketed as ‘black tea’, it is not completely ‘black’ as over 90 % of Darjeeling tea is not completely oxidized. In fact, Darjeeling tea is a rather light tea. There are many things that people don’t know about this tea, and here you can find all you should know about this tea.
What does it taste like?
Darjeeling tea is also known as the “champagne of teas” because of its special taste. In fact, the taste of this tea has often been compared to muscat wine. It has a fruity, citrus flavor, but it also has musky and sweet notes, making it unique. Most of Darjeeling teas are slightly astringent in taste while others have a sweet floral taste.
How to prepare it?
Preparing this tea is different from any other tea variety. All types of Darjeeling tea (black, white, green oolong), are ideally consumed without adding sugar and milk because it doesn’t allow full appreciation of the rich and aromatic taste of Darjeeling tea. The ideal way to prepare this tea is by placing the tea leaves in the tea pot. After that allow for the desired infusion and then place a filter in a second tea pot. It is best not to use the metallic-type infusion balls because the tea leaves expand and block the holes and so prevent a proper infusion.
Health benefits
By consuming Darjeeling tea regularly, it’s less likely that bacteria will attach to your teeth and so it’s less likely that you will suffer from tooth decay. Darjeeling tea is also very helpful for your gastric health. In fact, this tea is found to prevent the stomach ulcers and even gastric cancer. Darjeeling tea is known to prevent or slow down the production of Helicobacter Pylori (a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers). Darjeeling tea contains caffeine, which is known to help in weight loss.
In fact, if you’re trying to manage your weight, this tea is a good beverage to consume. It is known that the caffeine in tea helps speed up metabolism, and in that way makes exercises more effective. Darjeeling tea can boost our immune system. If you’re the type who easily catches a cold or flu, then drinking a cup of Darjeeling tea daily will strengthen your immune system. This tea has substances that can lower Cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body and therefore can act as a natural stress reliever.
Side effects
If you are sensitive to caffeine then the amount of caffeine found in Darjeeling white tea can constitute an unwanted side effect. The caffeine is common among teas that are essentially made up of young tea buds. The plants store caffeine in their buds to protect themselves against pests. Possible side effects of caffeine range from difficulty falling asleep to insomnia and lack of sleep.