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Happy Valley
An exceptional Darjeeling tea. Happy Valley plantation's elevation produces a stunning tea with gentle notes of muscatel, toast, wine and subtle peach.
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Country of Origin: India
Region: Darjeeling
The teas of Darjeeling are sought after by collectors and connoisseurs from one end of the globe to the other. Their delicate profiles, characterized by the almost ethereal and so-called muscatel character are formed by the mineral rich mountain soil and cool misty air that infuses each leaf with copious amounts of moisture. Finished Darjeelings are one of the world’s true culinary treasures. Quite simply, there is nothing like a peak Darjeeling to make your taste buds sing. In recent years, after a few ups and downs, Happy Valley, one of the region’s oldest estates has begun producing top-notch teas at the forefront of Darjeeling quality.
Nestled in the shadow of Mount Kanchenjunga, 3rd highest in the world after K2 and Everest, Happy Valley is the closest estate to the town of Darjeeling and the highest in the region at 6300 feet above sea level. The mountain mist is very dense at this incredible elevation causing the bushes to pollinate, a process believed to be responsible for the intense muscatel character Darjeeling lovers crave.
An English planter named David Wilson first planted the gardens that make up the estate in 1854. Wilson named his new plantation Wilson Estate and in 1903 sold it to an Indian aristocrat, Tarapada Banerjee who merged it with nearby Windsor Tea Estate and christened his new mega-property Happy Valley. (Happy Valley is spread out over 296 hectares.) The estate, in addition to its claim as the highest in Darjeeling, also boasts some of the oldest tea bushes in India. The youngest pluck-able bushes in the gardens are 80 years old with some specimens going on 150. The estate literally encapsulates the history of Darjeeling tea with each cup it produces.
Now, we mentioned there have been a few ups and downs on Happy Valley as of late. For a time during the past decade, after the Estate’s owners faced financial ruin and abandoned the gardens, its workers were made to fend for themselves. This they did with aplomb. Families had been on the estate for generations decided to do everything in their power to turn Happy Valley’s fortunes around. Today, with new management in place, the smiles in Happy Valley are infectious. The estate is one of the easiest to reach in Darjeeling and as such is a magnet for tea-loving tourists from Toronto to Tokyo. While you’re there, sample a cup of the garden fresh darjeeling tea. Happy Valley tea is a delight – delicate notes of cut peach, white grapes, wine interwoven with the telltale muscatel character make this one of the World’s finest. If you don’t get a chance to visit, don’t worry too much, our unique flavor-seal vacuum process means the tea we offer is still as fresh as the day it was plucked. Now that’s something to be happy about!
Brewing Tips - Hot Tea: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Even though milk and a dash of sugar help enhance the flavor character of this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea ‘straight-up’
Brewing Tips - Cold Tea: Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water]. Please note that this tea may tend to go cloudy or ‘milky’ when poured over ice - a perfectly normal characteristic of some high quality black teas and nothing to worry about!
Region: Darjeeling
Happy Valley
The teas of Darjeeling are sought after by collectors and connoisseurs from one end of the globe to the other. Their delicate profiles, characterized by the almost ethereal and so-called muscatel character are formed by the mineral rich mountain soil and cool misty air that infuses each leaf with copious amounts of moisture. Finished Darjeelings are one of the world’s true culinary treasures. Quite simply, there is nothing like a peak Darjeeling to make your taste buds sing. In recent years, after a few ups and downs, Happy Valley, one of the region’s oldest estates has begun producing top-notch teas at the forefront of Darjeeling quality.
Nestled in the shadow of Mount Kanchenjunga, 3rd highest in the world after K2 and Everest, Happy Valley is the closest estate to the town of Darjeeling and the highest in the region at 6300 feet above sea level. The mountain mist is very dense at this incredible elevation causing the bushes to pollinate, a process believed to be responsible for the intense muscatel character Darjeeling lovers crave.
An English planter named David Wilson first planted the gardens that make up the estate in 1854. Wilson named his new plantation Wilson Estate and in 1903 sold it to an Indian aristocrat, Tarapada Banerjee who merged it with nearby Windsor Tea Estate and christened his new mega-property Happy Valley. (Happy Valley is spread out over 296 hectares.) The estate, in addition to its claim as the highest in Darjeeling, also boasts some of the oldest tea bushes in India. The youngest pluck-able bushes in the gardens are 80 years old with some specimens going on 150. The estate literally encapsulates the history of Darjeeling tea with each cup it produces.
Now, we mentioned there have been a few ups and downs on Happy Valley as of late. For a time during the past decade, after the Estate’s owners faced financial ruin and abandoned the gardens, its workers were made to fend for themselves. This they did with aplomb. Families had been on the estate for generations decided to do everything in their power to turn Happy Valley’s fortunes around. Today, with new management in place, the smiles in Happy Valley are infectious. The estate is one of the easiest to reach in Darjeeling and as such is a magnet for tea-loving tourists from Toronto to Tokyo. While you’re there, sample a cup of the garden fresh darjeeling tea. Happy Valley tea is a delight – delicate notes of cut peach, white grapes, wine interwoven with the telltale muscatel character make this one of the World’s finest. If you don’t get a chance to visit, don’t worry too much, our unique flavor-seal vacuum process means the tea we offer is still as fresh as the day it was plucked. Now that’s something to be happy about!
Brewing Tips - Hot Tea: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Even though milk and a dash of sugar help enhance the flavor character of this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea ‘straight-up’
Brewing Tips - Cold Tea: Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water]. Please note that this tea may tend to go cloudy or ‘milky’ when poured over ice - a perfectly normal characteristic of some high quality black teas and nothing to worry about!