Darjeeling Tea Recipe

If you are an Indian you know this already and in case you are not then i have to tell you that we Indians love our tea. Whether it is 7am or 7 pm, anytime in India is chai time. We want tea with almost everything and all the time. Tea when we are feeling stresses, tea when we are feeling sad, tea when we are happy, tea when we are having fun or tea when we are getting bored. Tea when it rains, tea when it is just too hot. Tea is what binds the country together. As people we many disagree on various topics, but when it comes to chai the entire nation unites. 

Masala Chai

Most of you are already familiar with Indian masala chai, a version where you make tea with some spices. This is the most common form of tea, some make it with a blend of various spices like fennel, cardamom, cloves, etc, some make it with ginger, lemongrass.. every household has its own version of the masala chai.

100% milk tea

This tea has no water, usually whole milk is used to make this with with ginger and spices. The tea is not as sharp in flavour as the masala chai. 

Lemon tea

Tea made without milk, just boil water with tea leaves, add some ginger, a dash of lemon and sugar. 

Assam Tea:

Assam tea is full bodied and a bit strong. This tea comes from the region of Assam, and even within Assam the tea has various varieties. The price can range from Rs 500 per kilo to 5000. The tea has a deep earthy, spicy tone. 

Darjeeling tea:

Fun fact: Recently Darjeeling’s Makaibari tea was sold at a record price of $1,850 per kg and this tea has become one of the most expensive tea producers in India and the world. 

I personally believe that there is no other tea better than darjeeling tea. This tea is mild but the aroma is strong. After you have this tea, you will find the whole body relax. I remember how my friends would be reluctant to try this tea at my home as the colour of Darjeeling tea is faint so it doesn’t look very appealing, but after they had it they realised what they had been missing all their lives.

It’s no surprise that this tea is known as “The Champagne of Teas”, the tea is grown in the Himalayan region of Darjeeling, India. It can’t get any better than this, can it?

Last year I had the opportunity to travel to Darjeeling’s various tea estates. Since I love Darjeeling tea I bought so much tea that my stock isn’t over yet. Haha! Making this tea is no rocket science actually; everything is in the ratio of 1. For example, for 1 cup tea, you need 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon tea leaves, 1 tsp sugar and 1 teaspoon milk. Simple.

How to brew the perfect cup pf Darjeeling tea:

 Time:

Do not under brew or over brew. Timing is crucial, it is everything.  A few extra minutes can make your tea bitter, and less minutes can make your tea taste like nothing. You can start with 3 minutes of steeping and see how you like the flavour, if you like strong flavour then give 1 more minute.

Do not use tea bags:

Yes, if you want to enjoy the best flavour of this tea then please do some work, make it from scratch, do not use the tea bags.

Time: 7 minutes
Serves: 1 serving.

Ingredients:

1. Water: 1 cup
2. Long leaf tea leaves: 1 tsp
3. Sugar: 1 tsp ( Adjust sugar according to your taste)
4. Milk: 1 tsp  ( If you like more cream, adjust accordingly)

Method:

• Boil water in a saucepan, when the water starts bubbling time to add the tea leaves.
• Cover the pan and turn the heat off immediately.
• Let this sit for 3-5 minutes. The leaves that are floating on top will settle down to the bottom eventually.
• Come after 3-5 minutes, if you see the tea leaves have settled to the bottom, it’s time to heat the tea again for a few seconds because the tea must have gone cold in the process.
• Do not boil, just heat them for 30 -40 secs.
• Time to strain the tea with a tea strainer in the cup, add the sugar and milk.
• Mix well, and enjoy your Darjeeling tea

Darjeeling Tea Recipe

Recipe by KhushbooCuisine: Indian

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Ingredients

• Water: 1 cup

• Long leaf tea leaves: 1 tsp

• Sugar: 1 tsp ( Adjust sugar according to your taste)

• Milk: 1 tsp  ( If you like more cream, adjust accordingly)

Directions

• Boil water in a saucepan, when the water starts bubbling time to add the tea leaves.
• Cover the pan and turn the heat off immediately.
• Let this sit for 5-7 minutes. The leaves that are floating on top will settle down to the bottom eventually.
• Come after 5 minutes, if you see the tea leaves have settled to the bottom, it’s time to heat the tea again for a few seconds because the tea must have gone cold in the process.
• Do not boil, just heat them for 30 – 40 secs.
• Time to strain the tea with a tea strainer in the cup, add the sugar and milk.
• Mix well, and enjoy your Darjeeling tea.