A scant 2,000 kilometers west of Darjeeling, on the opposite side of the Indian subcontinent, lays a scenic valley of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, a place steeped in Hindu mythology.
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Author: Frank Miller
Origin India: Tamil Nadu and Kerala
The Western Ghats, South India Backbone of South India The six-hour drive south from Balanoor Tea Estate in Karnataka to the storied Nilgiri District of Tamil Nadu skirts Mysore city, engages with endless hills of shade-grown tea and coffee, then climbs to a plateau studded with charming agricultural villages producing […]
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Origin India: The Deep South
Balanoor Tea Estate, Karnataka Piece of Cake His birthday was celebrated in a leafy residential section of Bangalore, one of India’s more modern, connected cities. Thirty members of the prosperous Kuriyan clan milled about the cavernous apartment in the condominium complex they erected 15 years ago. Venerable tea and […]
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Tasting Notes: A Taste of Winter in South India
There is a revolution going on in South India, right under our noses. Up until the late 1980s perhaps, South Indian tea – from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala – was predominantly comprised of mid-grade CTC (cut, tear, curl) produced for the local market. In addition, there was a range […]
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Taiwan: Off the Beaten Path
With Taiwan’s compact size and its modern transport and communication infrastructure, one can easily visit a tea grower anywhere on the island in less than a day’s journey by car, rail, plane or bus. Sophie Lin, operator of the Wisteria Teahouse in Taipei organized a press tour in July 2016 […]
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Destination: The Wisteria Teahouse, a Cultural Treasure
Taiwan has teahouses of every sort, from Laoren (old man’s) style where common tea leaves are steeped in ordinary drinking glasses, to quiet Daoist establishments, to modern shops where scanning social media sites on mobile phones and laptops is OK.
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Origin India: Kangra Valley
A scant 2,000 kilometers west of Darjeeling, on the opposite side of the Indian subcontinent, lays a scenic valley of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, a place steeped in Hindu mythology.
Read More Origin India: The Deep South
Kuriyan family enterprises own thousands of acres of plantation land in Karnataka. One grows cut roses for export to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand; another latex sheets for rubber; areca or betel nut for pan; Arabica and Robusta coffee; black and white peppercorns, and cut timber.
Read More Origin India: Tamil Nadu and Kerala
The Ghats (Sanskrit, “steps”) are millions of years older than the Himalayas, and like the latter, play a pivotal role in the climate and weather of the Indian subcontinent. Thousands of centuries of monsoon rains have turned Western Ghat forests into a natural wonderland, one gigantic UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the hottest biodiversity hotspots on earth.
Read More Tasting Notes: A Taste of Winter in South India
Premium teas from the Nilgiri mountains were well-known among brokers and traders, but not widely recognized by consumers, because most was used in tea blends sold in tea bags. By the first decade of this century, Nilgiri white teas, oolongs and boutique black teas began showing up in Europe and America.
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