Darjeeling

The overwhelming majority of the local production is made by black teas. They are processed the way to keep a certain ratio of the green and light brown bitter nail tea leaves in the tea, which is the main reason of the totally incommutable character of these teas.

Black teas coming from the first harvest (first flush) contain typically the most of the green bitter nail leaves (sometimes they may even make up the biggest part of the tea mass) and just the taste elements coming from the young tiny green leaves are the most valued in the tea infusion. Also the ratio of the tips that are usually very tiny should be rather high. The taste of the infusion is usually complete, very fresh and brisk, with floral and sweetish tones and tippy dusty aroma. Especially teas from the first harvest show considerable differences in production from the high-mountain plantations and those situated in lower altitudes.

Black teas produced in the second harvest are typical for its higher ratio of the darker bitter nail leaves that are a bit larger, compared to the first harvest. The leaf mass contains less green bitter nail leaves of darker colour. Also its tips are more bulky and longer, often strongly downy. The colour of the infusion is deeper and darker, the taste is more ripe and settled, with distinctive ratio of darker leaves, usually with sweet floral, sometimes muscatel or fruity, less often honey tones, with tippy dusty or eventually herbal aroma.

 Green teas usually do not reach the first quality of the leaf (exceptions could be of course found sometimes), the taste of the infusion is sweetish, sometimes with floral or herbal tones, pleasantly astringent and very brisk, its typical feature is the so called metal aroma. Half-green Darjeeling teas are also usually produced in the first harvest, mainly from longer, high-quality leaves. Most of Darjeeling Oolongs are processed by the Taiwan method and they also remind Taiwan dark Oolongs by their look. The taste of the infusion combines the typical tastes of the first-grade Darjeeling first harvests with tastes of Taiwan Oolong, it is a rare tea, usually produced in a very limited amount. White Darjeeling teas produced usually in the second harvest and represented by the name of the garden with the Silver Tips epithet are not easily available tea rarity.

Assam

Assam teas make overwhelming majority of the local production. These teas gained worldwide popularity especially by its distinctive, body, slightly astringent, floral sweetish taste with typical, a bit earthy and often also a bit smoky aroma. In Europe it became a custom to drink these teas for their strongly stimulating effect especially in the morning, often with milk, neutralizing their typical astringent taste. It is possible to find also Assam teas from an early spring harvest, processed with the Darjeeling method, whose look, quality and character really reminds the lowland Darjeeling teas. There are leaves of the middle quality used for their production and it is generally true that green Assam teas do not reach qualities of black Assam teas. The taste of the infusion is brisk, pleasantly astringent, little sweetish, with typical strong, so called metal aroma.

Nilgiri

There are almost exclusively black teas produced in South- Indian Nilgiri Mountains and its overwhelming amount is processed with co called Ceylon method. These teas usually reach the quality standard of the middle grades of Ceylon black teas and also the taste character of the infusion is very similar to Ceylon black tea. It is usually slightly astringent to pleasantly acrid, little floral taste, often with fruity tones and typical aroma of Ceylon black teas. Less often it is possible to find South-Indian teas, processed by the Darjeeling method, that remind Darjeeling or Sikkim tea only rather remotely. In recent years there are also South-Indian green teas found here that reach very good quality and differ a lot with its character from the other Indian green teas.

Nepal

In Nepal there are mostly black teas produced, processed by the Darjeeling method. Its top grades remind the prominent first or second harvests from near Darjeeling by its look, quality as well as the taste character. They are usually teas of harmonious taste, often with sweet floral or fruity, less often honey tones, with tippy dusty, in some cases slightly herbal aroma. There are green teas and green teas, aromatized with jasmine produced here for the local market, however, their quality is usually low and their taste is markedly acrid and harsh.