Steep Stories

Tag: Darjeeling

  • A Kanchan View Darjeeling Pairing

    The Kanchan View tea estate in Darjeeling has a rough history. The garden was first established in the 1880s, where it first went by the name “Rungneet”. At the peak of its hundred-plus-year production, the 250-acre garden accounted for at least 100,000 kilos of tea a year. Now? It only does about ten percent of…

  • A Sidrapong Heritage Story

    The Arya tea estate has a fascinating history, even among the many that dot the Darjeeling region, especially because of its original name – Sidrapong. According to legend, the original site was home to Buddhist monks on an unknown pilgrimage in the mid-to-late 1700s. They were looking for a place to build a new monastery…

  • A Crappy Christmas Cat Poem with a Cuppa Tea

    T’was the day before Christmas Eve, And all was quite spiffy. I stayed in my PJs all day – In neither a hurry nor jiffy.   I babysat two cats, Made sure they were fed. Never overstayed my welcome, For they both wished me dead.  

  • Getting Tea Drunk on Giddapahar

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 21: “Getting Tea Drunk on Giddapahar” The Giddapahar tea estate rests near the center of the Kurseong Valley. The name translates to “Eagle’s Cliff”. While still considered high altitude in most respects, it represents one of the lower altitude gardens in that region. One of the most unique aspects of the estate is…

  • Darjeeling Fit for an Emperor

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 16: “Darjeeling Tea Fit for an Emperor” The Singbulli tea estate has a very old history, like a lot of such Darjeeling gardens. It was established in 1924 by British planters, and then was taken over in 2003 by Jayshree Tea and Industries. The garden resides near the town of Mirik, and teas…

  • What Makes a Moonlight Tea?

    What makes a tea a “Moonlight” tea? It’s a question I’ve asked myself several times over the last six years, and the one answer I’ve always returned to is, “I don’t care as long as it tastes good. “ But perhaps that was foolhardy. I originally assumed that when the name “Moonlight” was applied to…

  • A Castleton Comparison

    While this has easily been the worst summer of my life, there was an anniversary of sorts. One I had completely forgotten about until I received an e-mail from Vivek Lochan of Lochan Tea. It read: “In continuing with tradition, a sample of the 2015 Castelton Moonlight has been sent to you yesterday by courier.”…

  • The Dog Days of Summer, Sipping Darjeeling

    Over the course of the Summer, I was occasionally called upon by my brother and his wife to watch this li’l guy. Why does he have a cone on? I’ll get to that… Bro and sis-in-law were called away this time to take on the wilds of Canada with her family. I housesat and dog-sat…

  • Dating, Darjeeling, and Drought

    This might come as a big shock to a lot of you, but I don’t do a lot of dating.   For the record, it’s mostly my fault. I don’t put much effort into looking, and I’m in no real hurry to start. That and I’m perpetually broke, I don’t take wonderful care of myself,…

  • Journeys to Jungpana

    The Darjeeling tea estate of Jungpana has a unique history for its name. According to Norbu Tea Company, there are two possible origin stories. One Norbu Greg heard from the locals states that the name is an alteration of the Farsi word “Jahanpanah”, which means “Shelter of the World” – in reference to how the…