The Fall is over. The weather changes color from greens and yellows strewn on the ground to what some might call a sullen grey. Winter has been associated with gloom a lot many times. But to me, winters are bliss. Especially Indian winters. The sultry summers are overwritten by misty mornings and balmy days. I…
It is time for the winters. No matter how much I love winters, there is one thing I dread. And that is cold. Cold as in not the opposite of warmth cold but the disease cold. The scratchy throats, stuffy noses and incessant headaches and congestion is not what I look forward to. India is…
The importance of questions is what I would like to start this article with. For some reason, I found it to be an important point of entry to this particular aspect of the realm of tea. For most of us, tea is a tradition, a hand-me-down through generations. We go to the market, pick the…
The Start of a Journey The number of independent small scale tea growers are on a rise in the northeastern states of India, particularly in Assam. Pabitra Bora of Asomi Tea Garden is one such tea planter native to the Chenijaan region of Jorhat, Assam. When he started out his small tea plantation business he…
Amidst the din and bustle of a crowd in constant motion, the roaring of motorbikes and moving autos and the tinkering bells of the rickshaws that barely have enough space for their wheels to move is where is found the main flavors of India- in the streets. There could be palatial restaurants or hotels that…
The benefits of green tea have been reiterated many times. Less processed, rich in nutrients, and most importantly in anti-oxidants, green tea is a prescribed drink by doctors nowadays. Green tea is a popular beverage, consumed by most due to the fact that it aids in weight loss. This is what gave green tea its…
The first thing that is mesmerizing about the blue tea is undoubtedly its colour. I watched starry-eyed when I first saw this blue liquid that looked like a splash from a deep blue ocean. For those who do not know, blue tea is prepared from the dried blue-pea flower which in Assamese is called the…
The popularity of Green Tea and its variants is widely escalating in the commercial forums. One such variant is the Mint Green Tea. When I think of mint, I recall the small garden patch of my old home were mint leaves thronged. If we needed to flavor our tea or lemonade or even spice up…
‘Sekoni’ (Assamese- চেকনী) -a tea leaf strainer with a semi-spherical sieve and a handle attached to it is a common word in every Assamese household. Until I sat to write this article I never gave a second thought to this word. It has been a mundane utensil that I remember having in my house for…
What intrigues me about the concept of tea as seen by the Chinese is how infused it is in their philosophy and religion. The Taimu Mountain of Fuding is said to be where white tea was originally produced in the Fujian province of China. It is a quiet, foggy mountain, steep with spectacular caves and…
