TODAY’S TRADEMARK – DARJEELING

Darjeeling is a tea grown and processed in the Darjeeling or Kalimpong Districts in West Bengal, India. Since 2004, the term Darjeeling tea has been a registered geographical indication referring to products produced on certain estates within Darjeeling and Kalimpong. The tea leaves are processed as black tea, though some estates have expanded their product offerings to include leaves suitable for making green, white and oolong teas.

The tea leaves are harvested by plucking the plant’s top two leaves and the bud, from March to November, a time span that is divided into four flushes. Tea plants were first planted in the Darjeeling region in the mid-1800s. At the time, the British were seeking an alternative supply of tea apart China and attempted growing the plant in several candidate areas in India.  As Darjeeling tea gained a reputation for its distinctiveness and quality. The trademark owener is Tea board of India.

This trademark was registered in USPTO bearing registration number 1632726 on January 22, 1991.