How to Brew Darjeeling Tea

How to brew Darjeeling, the Champagne of teas: slightly cooler water, four minutes, and no milk to keep its muscatel character.

How To Brew Darjeeling Tea

Darjeeling has earned its nickname, the Champagne of teas, with a light body and a distinctive grape like muscatel character you do not get from everyday Black Tea. It deserves a little respect at the kettle: water just off the boil at around 90C rather than a rolling boil, and four minutes in the cup. Leave out the milk, which flattens those delicate notes. This is tea to sip and notice, not to dunk a biscuit in.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the How to Brew Darjeeling Tea recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/black tea/how to brew darjeeling tea/

⏱ 6 min 🍽 Serves 1 📊 Easy 📚 Black Tea Recipes

You'll need

  • 1 pyramid tea bag of Teapigs Darjeeling
  • 250ml freshly drawn water cooled to 90C
  • 1 250ml mug, warmed
  • 1 saucer for covering during steep

Method

  1. Warm your mug with a little hot water and pour it away.
  2. Boil the kettle, then let it sit for about a minute to come down to roughly 90C.
  3. Drop in the pyramid bag and pour the water over.
  4. Cover with a saucer and steep for four minutes.
  5. Lift the bag out and drink it black; milk masks the muscatel character that makes Darjeeling special.
  6. Tip: first flush Darjeeling drinks lighter and more floral, second flush rounder and fruitier, if you fancy exploring.
What you'll end up with: A clear, golden cup of Darjeeling with its trademark muscatel lift, best enjoyed black.

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