Because a thing is so now does not mean it was ever thus. Teas also
change with time.
Going back 40 years or so the UK was the major importer of Darjeeling
tea much of which went into the hugely successful Maison Lyons blend,
universally drunk with milk in the English way. However it was not
the Darjeeling tea that you would now recognise as such; it was a
truly black fermented tea with an orange liquor - properly oxidised,
much like a rains Darjeeling is nowadays when hard withers cannot be
achieved (these rains Darjeelings are sold domestically in India - not
exported as).
Then one day Lyons switched their house blend away from Darjeeling -
whose producers had quickly to find another market. North Europe was
targeted but required a lighter cup that would drink in the European
way - without milk. And so the nearly green, hard withered, Darjeeling
tea was developed and became universally recognised as "the"
Darjeeling. But how will it be forty years hence?

Nigel at Teacraft


J Boehm > wrote in message >...
>
> I stick my head out for a bet that most English people do not know the
> term Darjeeling, same as with most Germans. Nothing wrong with that, if I
> am correct. I always found it not easy, to say the least, to find
> Darjeeling tea, or loose tea generally apart from the Twinings and similar
> mass product teas. Single estate teas are a rarity to find in England,
> although they exist. Most people, as far as I can tell, have tea bag teas
> with milk and/or sugar. Earl Grey is common as well, then without milk.
>
> JB