Tea: Tourism & Assam

The wonder brew flourishes at no plain spaces it does so at amazing wonderlands. Tea in India grows in one of the most picturesque destinations that dazzle visitors expecting just plain fields laden with plantations.   

Assam is no less as beautiful as Darjeeling is. It is the largest producer of black leaf in the country. Popular all over the world specially in India the flavor is reminiscent of  malt flavor with dusky red color. The color is imparted whence the brew is brought to a boil. The chai wallahs are known to repeatedly boil the brew in order to extract the bitter malt flavor and a dark liquor.  

Garden

Assam grows premium and ordinary leaf the latter for mass consumption.None is less flavored than the order. The latter finds use on the streets as broken leaf and dust.   

Tea Plant

A visit to Assam gardens is an enthralling experience especially whence you learn how the leaf is cultivated and processed. Finest leaf is cultivated in these plantations some of which are as old as whence the production started in India.

Dodebetta View

 

There are many tour operators organizing visits to regions like Jorhat and Dibrugarh. Apart from sightseeing one visits the top gardens most of them built in colonial style. The age of customs and traditions that still govern life at tea gardens is worth knowing.     

Assam is home to many wilderness areas like Manas and Kaziranga. The tiger reserves and sanctuaries are home to many endemic species. Kaziranga is the best place to see one horned rhinoceros while Manas is home to the Golden Langur and Hoolock Gibbon.  

Tea Cocktails - Changing Trends

The wonderful hot beverage that cheers millions of souls everyday is undergoing a paradigm shift. The brew served hot in a traditional manner is breaking all barriers of stagnating traditions. It may seem that breaking away from the tradition is a sacrilege, but this wonderful leaf has done it without a sword being raised. All for the whiff of fresh air, tangy flavor and sensational aroma thanks to the new admixture created by the innovative connoisseurs and foodies.  

There are no extremists raising guns and swords to bloody the innovators guts. Tea is being consumed as cocktails, iced, bottled and masala all over the World. Wait! It is still being consumed like that way it was since centuries ago but things are changing and fast.   

Cocktails are maddening mixture of fruits and alcohol and the recipe can lead to both hot or icy cold beverage.  

The hot cocktails are enticing during the cold season and rainy days. They a are created by warming the water as usual and adding the leaf and other ingredients. 

Some of the popular names are:
 

• Masala Chai
•  
• Hot & Toddy 
•  
• Blueberry Tea  
• 
  
• Autumn Chai Sizzle

 Many a type of punches have been created. Most of these cocktails are non alcoholic meant for summers and warm weather. 

Th iced tea or mocktails are usually made as warm tea chilled and then the ingredients are added to it. Iced Brews are also sold at tea lounges along with snacks. They are also sold in cans and bottles not forgetting the soda machine dispensers. 

Some of the popular drinks are:

• Bourbon Tea
• 
  
• Cherry Bitch 
• 
  
• Bee Tea
• 
  
• Derby Tea
•  
• Ginger Tea 

Innovation is completely going to change the teas of the future and how we consume it. Be prepared.  

Good Morning The Herb Way

What a better way to start one's morning then to do it the herbal way. I love my green tea and mix some black in the brew as well. To fight diabetes I add a mix of cinnamon and cardamom in the brew.  

Health is wealth and the green brew delivers just that. Fond of ubiquitous black tea I developed taste for the green variety whence I bought the Wagh Bakri green brand. Ever since I am hooked to this magnificent leaf that carries so many beneficial compounds with it. 

For extra flavor one can add the Darjeeling leaf in the mix. This will jack up the price but nevertheless it will add miles to the flavor. 

The morning brew once prepared is then consumed in two three cup fulls. The exhausted leaves are then left to steep till the time I brew the cup again. This assures gain of all the healthy chemicals along with economy in use. Try it you will not be disappointed. 

One can add many times of herbs, oils, powdered extracts as per the health benefit one desires. Most of the additives have medicinal and curative properties.   

So next time you brew a sizzling hot beverage add some muscle into it!

       

Tea: Tourism and About Darjeeling

Indian loves tea something they call "chai". Presumably a Chinese word and rightly so since many of the finest strains of tea has been imported in India. This does not mean that all our blends comprise of Chinese strain the plant flourished in North East India especially in Assam and was consumed like anywhere else in those days as a medicine.  

Unmindful or origin chai is indispensable in India day, noon, evening, mid night, predawn and early morning the cycle is never ending. That is not all birthdays, engagements, weddings, all parties, guest entertainment, business partners and clients, ceremonies, faltu time, kaamka time, bus sab kuch chai chahiye. 

In India it is Chai! Chai! & Chai!  

So whats new about this? 

Well as you seek God you should seek the truth about tea though not equal to God it is second to none on Earth. Hence the wiser ones are on to Tea Tourism. This simply means searching for the Gates to Heaven well not Haridwar but Darjeeling and more....  

The British had a great competitive spirit and to beat the Chinese monopoly they entered India. Well with tea plants from China and the processing secrets. They did everything to make tea plantation a huge success in India. The initial destinations were preferred to be Assam and Darjeeling in West Bengal both states of India.    

Darjeeling: Known as Queen of Hills is the country's most popular hill resort. It is also popular for the toy train that ferries tourists and locals alike. The beautiful holiday destination offers amazing sightseeing with Himalayas soaring in the backdrop. The cool climes has also given rise to a large number of verdant tea plantations. 

The Darjeeling Tea grown in these gardens is one of the most aromatic and musky. The connoisseurs know this fact but so does the common man. The price is high but if you love Darjeeling blends it does not matter. Popular all over the World this exotic blend is also popular as a gift item usually present in a basket.

Amongst the verdant hills of Darjeeling you visit the numerous gardens with amazing spread and unique produce. This is the best place spend one's holiday amidst cheers from a cup of chai.

Kanchenjunga looms large with its snow covered peaks and to add to the hillside beauty are numerous hills covered with grassy meadows and forests. Exploration takes place around the villages, monasteries and numerous gardens.      

The tour of picturesque destination is enhanced by the visit to the tea estates and the life prevailing there.