Tag: Darjeeling
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Memories of Mandal Gaon
Mandal Gaon is a village in the state of West Bengal, India—in the Darjeeling region. Like many villages in the area, the inhabitants are mostly of Gurkha descent; a Nepalese ethnic group brought over to India by the British to work the newly planted tea gardens. Since then, over the course of time, the towns…
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Revisiting Castleton Moonlight
I think it’s high time I talk about the Castleton estate. Again.
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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the First Flushes
I don’t consider it spring until I’ve had a first flush Darjeeling in my mouth. This year, though, it took me a little longer to get to my “stash” of first flush Darjeelings. Most years, the family Lochan sends me a few to get the ol’ palate revved up for the year to come. And,…
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The Invoices of Autumn
While most of the world above the equator is currently complaining about winter, my mind is still stuck in autumn. At least, that is, from a tea perspective. Of all the seasonal flushes in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, autumn is considered a dumping ground. It’s a chance for gardens to make up for any…
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The Tea Vlogger in “American Vandal”
On September 20th of this year, I received an intriguing text from a fellow tea-brother: I’d never heard American Vandal, nor was I aware that it had two seasons. My Netflix-fu was neophyte status at best. If it didn’t have the word “Marvel” in front of it, or could be easily searched in the anime…
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The Smoked Darjeelings of Niroula’s Tea Farm
In November of 2012, I accidentally “created” a smoked Darjeeling. I say “accidentally” and put arbitrary air-quotes over “created” because . . . that’s only kinda what happened. One fateful day, I put a sample of Risheehat first flush—enclosed in a do-it-yourself tea bag—into a tin of loose Lapsang Souchong. Totally not thinking of the…
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Going to Gopaldhara by way of Boulder, Colorado
Gopaldhara is a tea estate in the Mirik Valley in the Darjeeling district of the Indian state West Bengal. Like many such tea estates in the region, it began its life in the late 19th century. Plotted and planted by a bunch o’ Brits. It derives its name from the original owner of the land,…
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Darjeeling in Autumn
I chose a weird time to talk about autumn flush Darjeelings. For one thing, it hasn’t been a typical year for the region. (An understatement, true.) But before I get into that, I should probably explain what I mean by “Darjeeling autumn flush”. Here’s a bit of a primer.
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A Wild Darjeeling
This is an awkward statement to make right now . . . but . . . I’ve been on a bit of a Darjeeling kick, lately. Especially given recent (at the time of this writing) news reports. And I’m not going to delve into any of that. This is a tea blog; I tell tea…