Today I'm hiding in the clouds in the hill town of Darjeeling. These hills would be considered mountains in most countries but in the shadows of the Himalayas the are just hills. I'm carrying on higher up the mountains today from a small village/tea garden (plantation) called Maikabari. I've spent the last two days living with a Nepali family who work on the tea plantation. I have learned lots about tea, drank lots of it, and enjoyed a very relaxing time. Now I'm waiting for the train (rather to see if I can get on the train). This train is the highest in India which I suspect makes it one of the higher trains in the whole world.
I will have a few days in Darjeeling and then leave the mountains to head toward Goa which is likely in the beginning of the monsoon which does not bode well for my beach bathing.
But a bit more about tea.
1. Not native to this area - introduced about 1857 when the British supply in China was threatened by the Opium Wars (I think).
2. Grows on low shrubs throughout the hills here where it has been planted.
3. Harvested at 4 different times - First Flush (March-mid-May), Second Flush or Muscatel (Mid-May to Mid June), Monsoon Flush (mid-June to end of Monsoon ?August), Autumn Flush (Sept. to November).
4. Bushes are pruned and rest during the winter season.
5. Tea Bags are cheapest and nastiest form of tea you buy - they are made from the dust and sweepings left after all the more expensive tea components have been separated to be sold.
6. All different kinds of tea - black, green, white - come from the same plants. The difference is in the processing.
7. Oolong tea is simply a mixture of black and green teas, usually at a ratio of 70% black to 30% green.
8. Silver tips is the most expensive tea in India - it sells for about 18 000 Rupees/kg ($330 CAD/kg). The reason it is so expensive is two fold: firstly, only the buds of the tea plant are used. A trained picker working all day may be able to collect 250g of buds in one day. This mass is then cut by about 75% during the drying process. Secondly, the buds are only collected on the day of a full moon as it is believed that the buds have more potency/power/strength at this time.
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Anyways, it is time to head back to the station to see if I can get on the train. Have a good day where ever you are.
I will have a few days in Darjeeling and then leave the mountains to head toward Goa which is likely in the beginning of the monsoon which does not bode well for my beach bathing.
But a bit more about tea.
1. Not native to this area - introduced about 1857 when the British supply in China was threatened by the Opium Wars (I think).
2. Grows on low shrubs throughout the hills here where it has been planted.
3. Harvested at 4 different times - First Flush (March-mid-May), Second Flush or Muscatel (Mid-May to Mid June), Monsoon Flush (mid-June to end of Monsoon ?August), Autumn Flush (Sept. to November).
4. Bushes are pruned and rest during the winter season.
5. Tea Bags are cheapest and nastiest form of tea you buy - they are made from the dust and sweepings left after all the more expensive tea components have been separated to be sold.
6. All different kinds of tea - black, green, white - come from the same plants. The difference is in the processing.
7. Oolong tea is simply a mixture of black and green teas, usually at a ratio of 70% black to 30% green.
8. Silver tips is the most expensive tea in India - it sells for about 18 000 Rupees/kg ($330 CAD/kg). The reason it is so expensive is two fold: firstly, only the buds of the tea plant are used. A trained picker working all day may be able to collect 250g of buds in one day. This mass is then cut by about 75% during the drying process. Secondly, the buds are only collected on the day of a full moon as it is believed that the buds have more potency/power/strength at this time.
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Congratulations on graduating Clinton!!!!! That is a HUGE achievement and I'm sure you are very happy to be done! Enjoy your holiday!
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