What are Single-Estate Teas?

Kat Uytiepo | July 24, 2020

What are Single-estate Teas?

You may have heard of single origin coffee and single origin wines, but have you heard of single-estate teas?

Single-estate teas refer to teas that come from one farm or plantation, which indicates that it is not blended with other teas from other tea estates in the area. Because of this, the tea can be identified by the name of the estate, such as “Doke” or “Selim Hill“ that will appear in the name of the tea.

Single-estate teas vs Blended teas

Big tea companies usually blend teas from different estates or plantation, even from different countries, in order to lower the cost of the tea. A typical tea brand may blend teas from as many as 30 countries to get the best combination of appearance, flavor, cost, and consistency that the market demands.

In contrast, single-estate teas only come from one estate. For loose leaf teas, character mainly comes from the plucking, season, terroir, and processing method. All of these contribute to the flavour and aroma of the tea. Needless to say, the region in which a tea is grown can influence its flavor in profound ways. Single-estate teas allow you to experience the diversity and complexity of a specific estate's growing and processing nuances, its climate and soil that contribute to its overall appearance and taste. These teas genuinely reflect the character of a specific tea producing estate. For example, a tea from one estate in Darjeeling won’t taste the same as another estate’s tea, although they are from the same region, or they could even be neighbors.

Know where your tea comes from

Another advantage of choosing a single-estate tea is that you can learn more about where your tea has come from, how they are produced, and who produces them. This can be important in terms of making purchasing decisions that promote sustainability. Some may choose to purchase tea that is produced in an environmentally sound manner, or in a way that protects the rights of workers and garden owners.

Some tea estates even have inns and Airbnbs so you can stay at their farm and learn about how they produce their teas and how they look after the wellbeing of their workers. One of the certified organic tea estates we’re working with, Doke Tea Farm, even hosts small groups of students who come from all over world to learn how tea is grown and to have a hands-on experience on a tea farm in India. Guests can see how tea is plucked, chat with the garden workers to understand their lives in the gardens, and watch live tea processing in the factory. This level of transparency can’t be expected from blended teas.

Most people assume that single estate tea is more expensive than blends. In many circles single estate status is seen as a sign of a "gourmet tea" or "premium tea", and, reflecting this, many single estate teas tend to be of both higher quality and price than many of the mainstream blends. However, like any crop, tea is subject to changes in climate, the elements and growing conditions– when these factors change, the quality and characteristics of the tea plant’s leaves will also fluctuate. So newly harvested tea from an estate won’t taste exactly the same as tea from the same estate that were harvested the previous year.

Workers at Doke Tea Farm with Doke Tea Farm's founder, Rajiv Lochan.

Learn about Doke Tea Farm, one of the newest and smallest tea gardens in India, begun 26 years ago by Rajiv Lochan. All the teas are hand-processed in very small batches, supervised by Rajiv’s daughter, Dolly Lochan, using family and local villagers to help.

Doke Tea Farm Founder, Vivek Locha

If you have not yet tried single estate teas, check out our collection of single-estate teas. By choosing single estate teas, you can travel to the finest tea gardens in the world.