Bhutan. The name inspires dreams in a tea researcher like me. How many years have I spent wondering whether any tea gardens are to be found in this mysterious kingdom… Twenty, thirty? To its west lie the Dooars plains, while the immense Assam Plain stretches southwards, bathed by the turbulent waters of the mighty Brahmaputra river. During my frequent travels through these two regions blanketed with tea fields, I have often gazed at those distant mountains where dragons live. A land of clouds and legends, where success is measured in terms of gross national happiness.
The land of dragons
10 October 2025