International Tea Day 2026: How to brew the perfect cup of Darjeeling tea? We find out at Flurys Kolkata

At Flurys, clip steeps gently, similar beverage leaves successful blistery water. Outside, Park Street swells with taxis, office-goers and the acquainted chaos of Kolkata successful May. Inside, teaspoons clink against porcelain cups, similar they person for astir a century, and waiters transportation teapots with solemn concentration.

Founded successful 1927 by Swiss expatriate mates Mr and Mrs J. Flurys, the tearoom captures erstwhile Calcutta’s nostalgia, served with patties, baba cakes (a adust effect barroom infused effect adust fruits), rum balls and tea.

On International Tea Day, we instrumentality notes from Dhrubojyoti Das, a elder F&B enforcement astatine Flurys for implicit 12 years now, connected however to brew a cupful of cleanable cupful of the GI tagged Darjeeling tea. He approaches the taxable of brewing with surgical precision. To him, brewing a cupful of Darjeeling beverage is an art. 

First, helium speaks of water. For Darjeeling tea, h2o indispensable remainder for a fewer seconds aft boiling, waiting calmly to conscionable the leaves. Dhrubojyoti says that darjeeling beverage is prepared utilizing beverage leaves sourced from the beverage room’s ain gardens , owned by the Apeejay radical successful Darjeeling’s Pankhabari. For 1 ample cupful of darjeeling tea, a tablespoonful of escaped leafage beverage is enough. He says that aft the h2o is heated conscionable beneath boiling constituent and steeped for precisely 3 minutes, the beverage is strained and served without milk.  “The leaves are delicate and 1 has to fto them unfastened dilatory until the concoction assumes a aureate to heavy amber shade, which is the people of a well-brewed cupful of tea,” says Dhrubojyoti. 

Darjeeling beverage comes successful 4 main flushes oregon seasonal varieties: the floral and delicate archetypal flush, the fuller-bodied and muscatel-rich 2nd flush, the stronger monsoon flush and the mellow autumnal flush. The 2nd flush is astir prized for its affluent enveloping notes and agleam amber liquor.

The markers of a premium Darjeeling beverage prevarication successful its fragrance, full leafage appearance, layered flavour and lack of bitterness. Unlike the thick, malty, tannic chai made from fannings (small grainy particles of beverage leaves) and CTC tea, which stands for crush, teardrop and curl, a processing method that produces tiny granular beverage particles which brew quickly, springiness a acheronian colour, beardown flavour and brace good with boiled milk, sugar, ginger, cardamom and spices. In Kolkata and overmuch of Eastern India, roadside beverage is often made utilizing Assam CTC tea. 

From China to India

Acclaimed tea taster Dilip Kumar Banerji, successful his book, I americium Tea (1933) outlines that beverage came from the Camellia radical of plants which archetypal originated successful China successful the 5th entury. “It soon dispersed to Burma, Japan, and then, done inquisitive explorers of the East India Company, beverage was successfully planted successful the soils of India.”

Dilip besides outlines successful his publication that, Darjeeling beverage belongs to a antithetic affectional climate. It is called the “champagne of teas” by beverage connoisseurs for its muscatel flavour, floral aroma and light-golden colour. Like the Champagne portion successful France, which enjoys geographical exclusivity and produces champagne that are bright, crisp and delicate, Darjeeling beverage is exclusive to Darjeeling and is known for its delicate lightness, floral aroma and analyzable body. Grown crossed the misty slopes of Darjeeling astatine elevations often supra 6,000 feet, the beverage absorbs the peculiarities of upland upwind the mode vino absorbs terroir. First flush Darjeeling, harvested successful spring, tastes greenish and delicate, a kid of its verdant greenish environs successful spring. Second flush carries the fuller muscatel enactment beverage drinkers talk astir with large devotion.

And Kolkata understands the ritual of tea. This is simply a metropolis wherever conversations statesman with cha and extremity with different cup. Tea present is not simply consumed, it structures societal beingness and is the nucleus of adda (conversation). Deals are negotiated implicit tea, heartbreaks are softened with tea, governmental theories are sharpened beside beverage stalls balanced precariously connected thoroughfare corners. Yet, Darjeeling beverage occupies a somewhat aristocratic country wrong Bengal’s beverage imagination. It is little hurried, little sugary, little antiauthoritarian perhaps. It belongs to aged clubs, agelong bid journeys to the hills, monsoon afternoons and porcelain cups that marque a faint dependable erstwhile placed cautiously connected saucers.

As the beverage is poured into a porcelain cup, the amber toned brew catches the chandelier airy similar burnished gold. No milk. No ginger. No cardamom. Nothing to interrupt the fragile perfume of the hills trapped wrong the leaves. Outside, Park Street hurries on, and determination betwixt the archetypal sip and the past curl of steam, Kolkata reminds america that adjacent a restless metropolis tin intermission for a bully cupful of Darjeeling tea.