Darjeeling is renowned for its highland black teas. The district of Darjeeling is situated on the slopes of the Himalaya, in the north of the Indian federal state of West-Bengal. The British began to plant tea bushes in 1856 from seeds they had smuggled out of China. In the west, the highland teas from Darjeeling were for a long time considered the best black teas. There are three main pluckings every year in Darjeeling, but for simple teas there are harvest in between. In northern regions of India, like Dooars or Sikkim, but also in Nepal and south-indian Nilgiri, black teas are processed the same way as a Darjeeling.

Second Flushes, the second harvest of the year, takes place in summer (June) and produced as an entirely oxidised black tea. Second Flushes are mellow, yet aromatic and spicy.