History & Origin of Darjeeling Tea Darjeeling was transferred to the East India Company in 1835, and the Chinese tea variant was deemed suitable for the region in 1841. Dr. A Campbell was the first person to plant Chinese seeds in Darjeeling that he had brought from Kumaon Commercial tea plantations in Darjeeling started in the 1850s and 113 plantations were set up by 1874, covering 18,888 acres and accounting for a production of 3.9 million pounds