Steep Stories

Tag: Lochan Tea

  • Gifts of the Doke River

    In July, a very 2020 thing happened. I shattered a gaiwan lid. Even “funnier”? This was the second such gaiwan lid I’d shattered this year. My luck with even the most basic teaware was middling at best. Like any “softboi”, I posted this guy-winey gaiwan lament online. First person to comment on this tragedy was…

  • 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,…

  • 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.

  • 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…

  • I “Heart” Doke

    I “heart” the Doke tea estate. No, I’m not ashamed to use the word “heart” instead of “love”. Especially today. Okay, I winced a tiny bit at the grammatical incorrectness of it (and the cutesiness of it) . . . but the sentiment still stands. And, given when this blog is going up, the cutesy…

  • 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…

  • All Four Doke First Flush Teas In One Day

    Begin Doke Diary transmission. I’ve already written about the Doke tea estate in Bihar, India on several occasions. Everyone who reads this blog already knows my leanings toward it. That being, it’s my absolute favorite Indian tea garden. Yes, in all of India. But out of the countless tea profiles, taster notes, and lapses in…

  • 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…

  • Defining a Doke Tea State of Mind

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 6: “Defining a Doke Tea State of Mind” Doke /’dōk/ noun A river located in the state of Bihar, India The surname of a tea estate in Bihar, India owned and operated by the Lochan family. verb To induce a state of mind in a Doke tea drinker, wherein they experience equal parts…