Because of its delicate fruity flavour, Darjeeling tea is loved by tea connoisseurs across the world and is known as the 'Champagne of teas'. The hill towns of Darjeeling and Kurseong are home to some of the best tea gardens in the world. The lush green tea gardens are a sight to behold. Today's episode brings you the story of Darjeeling tea including its production, its enchanting taste and some of its fascinating aspects. This journey spans across the beautiful stretch of Makaibari tea estate, Mayukh tea lounge and Gomden tea shop.
At Makaibari we saw the plucking, weighing and manufacturing processes of an Orthodox tea. The most memorable part of this insightful journey was interacting with the tea garden workers and sharing a quick meal with them. They are such an inspiring lot. Next we went to the factory and witnessed the different steps of tea making.
After this we went to Mayukh tea lounge followed by Gomden tea shop for two consecutive tea tasting sessions in order to get acquainted with the nuances of its world famous flavour. At Mayukh we tried many varieties including the silver tip and green tea and while at Gomden we tried black, oolong and green tea. Both the sessions enlightened us with so many insights about this pride of Darjeeling. We got to know how to brew it right, what things to pair it with and what mistakes to avoid in order to attain a gratifying experience from a cuppa. Next we also interacted with Prabhakar, an academician working with the tea garden workers and got to know about the immense challenges that they are facing.
We are deeply grateful to all the individuals for bringing is such great change in perception to this star beverage.