From the stimulating streets of Kolkata the next stage of my training trip was to take place in the cooler climbs of Darjeeling. Darjeeling nestles at the Western edge of the Himalayas at up to 2000 meters above sea level. As a result, Darjeeling offers some of the most stunning landscapes in India and a very special kind of tea. The steep slopes and high altitude provide a climate that leads to a unique character in the tea. Tea bushes grow here on inclines of about 60%, meaning that the tea bushes (and the estate workers!) have to be super fit and healthy to withstand such steep conditions... and they are. The religion most commonly practised here is Buddhism and across the tea estates colourful Buddhist prayer flags blow in the morning mist.

Darjeeling tea is known as the 'champagne' of tea amongst the tea fraternity for having muscatel character and a liquor and astringency similar to that of champagne. It's because of the altitude and climate here that the tea leaves grow slowly, making them packed full of enzymes that, during processing, give it great flavour. The process here is very traditional in terms of manufacture and follows orthodox leaf processes whereby the finely plucked small leaves are rolled, oxidised and dried before being sorted into larger loose leaf grades of tea.

I had the opportunity to travel and taste with some very experienced Darjeeling experts who were able to share with me some of the secrets of making tea here.

I learned that the unique character of Darjeeling tea is not just down to the agro-climatic conditions but the variety of tea bushes that grow here. The varieties, or clonal types as they are referred to, add much in the way in providing distinctive characteristics. The older bushes related to the original China varieties give a more muscatel flavour, where as the new varieties that have evolved give a more peachy or fruity character so the blending of these characters actually starts in the tea fields, before processing has even taken place. Whilst Darjeeling tea is technically known as a black tea, as it goes through an oxidation process, the period that it oxidises for is actually much less than that of black tea, which we may add milk to. Because of this the liquor is a clear golden colour, and the taste is crisp and refreshing, so best to drink it without milk or with a slice of lemon.

After two months in India, Darjeeling is my final stop. So it's time to wave goodbye to this fascinating country and say hello to Sri Lanka - another important tea-growing country, rich in tea history and culture, and the home of Ceylon tea. More from me soon.

Bye for now,

Suzy