I am used to blended black Darjeeling tea (e.g., Lipton Green Label), mainly
bought at various Indian grocery stores in Ohio. I would like to move up to
better quality Darjeeling teas.

I am looking for suggestions on where to buy this using mail-order. Also,
which specific tea (blended, or single garden) would you folks suggest?

Color is not important to me, flavor is. I grew up used to adding milk and
sugar to tea, but now I drink it black (no milk or sugar).

I am willing to spend a bundle to see what's the best out there. I believe
that the best tea comes from the "bud" (that is plucked along with two
adjacent leaves). Any suggestions to help me get started?

Thanks
--
Aloke
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PS: I bought some Darjeeling tea at the wholesale markets in Calcutta
(Dhruva tea store), from Happy Valley and Loptchu estates. I have no idea
which flush these are from. The flavor is very subtle (gets masked if you
add milk etc). The dry leaves have lots of "grey" like leaves. The leaves
open into pretty big pieces when brewed.

Again, looking to try the "best" from a reliable mail-order store....