Climate Change and Darjeeling Tea

Today I am talking about one of my favorite teas, Darjeeling. Darjeeling hails from the Darjeeling Region of India. Darjeeling is interesting because instead of using the assamica varietal of the tea plant (that hails from India), Darjeeling tea typically comes from a smaller leaf Chinese varietal. It's essentially a Chinese tea that grows in India with flavors of French grapes and Himalayan mountain air. The ‘champagne’ of teas is celebrated for its wine-like profile.

A 20-year study was done by DTR&DC in Kurseong that show the annual temperature in the region has grown by 1 degree Fahrenheit. Rainfall has dropped 30 inches and humidity has dropped by 16 percent. A large part of the formation of Darjeeling’s famous polyflavinols is directly related to cold air trapped below the peaks of the Kanchenjunga Himalayas. With the rising climate comes the risk of losing the iconic Darjeeling flavor profile.

Not only is the flavor at risk, but also production has dropped. During the past decade yields have fallen significantly. In 1994 production exceeded 14 million kilograms, but by 2016 that total had fallen to 8.44 million kilograms. It is important to note that some of the shortfall is due to an extended strike by workers during which most of the second flush crop was lost. Ashok Kumar Lohia, chair of the Chamong Tea Group, which operates 13 Darjeeling estates, told Down To Earth magazine that “erratic weather and delayed rains cost nearly 15 percent loss of production during the first flush.” Increased temperatures have also caused torrential and erratic rainstorms that have been responsible for a marked increase in dangerous landslides.

Tea growers are working hard at coming up with solutions to solve problems created by climate change. Irrigation systems, delayed pruning, and planting tall trees to increase shade are a few solutions being implemented. Perhaps one of the biggest changes is the creation of new drought- and pest-resistant varietals that can withstand the new climate. The hope is that all these efforts will preserve the unique qualities that make tea from Darjeeling so unique.