A cliff, a family, and a hundred years of tea

Most of Darjeeling's tea gardens were planted under colonial ownership from the 1850s onward. Giddapahar is one of the rare exceptions.

Perched on a cliff above the town of Kurseong, on ground named for the birds of prey that circle the ridge, Giddapahar was established in 1881 and has stayed within the same family ever since. Four generations have tended these bushes. In a region whose estates were largely built and run by others, that unbroken Indian lineage is almost unheard of, and it is a large part of why tea drinkers hold this small garden in such high regard.

Where it grows

Giddapahar is a boutique garden by any measure. Just over 90 hectares of tea, planted between roughly 4,500 and 5,200 feet on steep, cliff-face slopes.

Much of the garden is still rooted in old China bushes, some more than a century old, alongside a few later clonal plantings. These older bushes grow slowly and yield modestly, but they reward patience. Slow growth at altitude, cool mist, and clean mountain air are what give the leaf its concentration and clarity.

The result is a garden that has never chased volume. It produces limited quantities of carefully made tea, and that tea travels from Kurseong to tea rooms in London, Taipei, and beyond.

What is in the cup

Giddapahar is best known for its First Flush, the spring harvest picked as the bushes wake after winter.

Expect lightly twisted leaves in shades of olive, silver, and light brown, with fine tips throughout. In the cup it pours a pale golden liquor, bright and clear, with delicate floral aromas and a lift of citrus. It is brisk and light on the palate, the signature of a fine early-season Darjeeling.

The Second Flush, harvested in summer, tells a different story. This is when Darjeeling develops its famous muscatel character, a rounded sweetness with more body and depth. Giddapahar's Second Flush is fuller and more fragrant, smooth enough to enjoy slowly through an afternoon.

How to brew it

Both flushes are delicate. A gentle hand brings out the best in them.

Use one teaspoon, about 2.5 grams, per 180 ml cup. Heat your water to just below boiling, around 85 to 90 degrees Celsius, so you do not scorch the leaf. Steep the First Flush for three to four minutes and the Second Flush for around four minutes. Drink it plain, without milk or sugar, so the estate character comes through.

Taste Giddapahar for yourself

This season, two expressions from the garden are available, both loose leaf and packed fresh from this year's harvest.

Giddapahar First Flush 2026 (₹999), the bright, floral spring harvest.
https://www.mayukhtea.com/products/giddapahar-first-flush-darjeeling-black-tea-2026

Giddapahar Muscatel Second Flush 2026 (₹799), the fuller, sweeter summer harvest.
https://www.mayukhtea.com/products/darjeeling-tea-giddapahar-muscatel

When a garden names itself on the pack, it has nowhere to hide. Giddapahar has never needed to.

Only from Darjeeling. Only from Mayukh.
Unmistakably Darjeeling.