I first visited Darjeeling in the fall of 2011. I trekked the Singalila Ridge along the border of Nepal, where I had amazing views of Mount Kanchenjanga, the third highest peak in the world. I also tried Darjeeling tea for the first time. Continue reading “Darjeeling”
For me, one of the benefits of being a tea tourist is that tea is grown in places I enjoy visiting. Happily, some of the best tea is grown in mountainous highlands. The village of Bir, in the Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh, is at an altitude of 1500 meters and is surrounded by tea gardens. It is also the home of a major Tibetan settlement, and nearby Billing is a world-famous takeoff point for paragliding. Continue reading “Bir and Tea”
I’ve been drinking tea in earnest since 2011, when I discovered whole leaf tea during a trip to Darjeeling. A few years prior to that I had begun a regular meditation practice. Interestingly, I’ve found that both tea and meditation give me a similar feeling that I might describe as “awakened relaxation.” Continue reading “The Zen of Tea”
You’ve heard of “green tea,” so called because the leaves are not oxidized and still look quite green after processing. But how “green” is tea in terms of its environmental impact?
Continue reading “How Green Is Our Tea?”
As Shakespeare’s Hamlet kind of didn’t say, “Tea bag or no tea bag, that is the question.” But nevertheless it is a question worth pondering. Continue reading “Tea Bags or Loose Tea?”
When I first saw a globe as a child, I was fascinated by the big bumpy region north of India and the Himalayas. It was labeled “Tibet (China).” China insists Tibet has always been a part of China, while Tibetans claim that the Chinese invaded their independent country over sixty years ago. Continue reading “Tibetan Tea”
While Darjeeling and Assam are probably the best-known tea growing regions in India, Kangra, in mountainous Himachal Pradesh, is historically better known for its eponymous style of painting than for its tea. Continue reading “Kangra Tea”
In the mid 19th century, China tea bushes were brought to the Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh by the Scottish botanist William Jameson. Today Kangra produces about 800,000 kg of tea annually, a small amount of India’s total annual production of over 1.2 billion kg, according the Indian Tea Association. Continue reading “Palampur Cooperative Tea Factory”
I took an overnight bus from Delhi and arrived in McLeodganj, in mountainous Himachal Pradesh, on 14 November, around 7:00 a.m. For the next few days I explored the town’s hilly streets and the narrow, winding roads heading out of the main square and into nearby pine forests. Continue reading “McLeodganj Tea Shops”
I spent a few days in Delhi to get over my jet lag prior to heading for the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. Of course I could see no better way to conquer jet lag than some hot tea, available everywhere on the subcontinent. But tea was not always as ubiquitous in India as it is now. Continue reading “Tea in Delhi, India”
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