Blog – Page 56 – Discovering Tea

The autumn Darjeelings are arriving!

27 September 2013

At the moment I’m tasting some delicious teas from Darjeeling. The autumn harvest (third flush) is early, and I have just chosen a Phuguri DJ168 as well as a Margaret’s Hope Pure Clonal DJ512; both are quite exceptional. They should arrive in France in about 10 days. As connoisseurs know, and to simplify a little, autumn Darjeelings are generally more woody than summer Darjeelings (second flush), which in turn are fruitier than spring Darjeelings (first flush). Whatever the season, though, these teas grow on mountains that offer breathtaking views.

Small plantation in the south of Sri Lanka

20 September 2013

From one country to another, one region to another, the organisation of tea production varies. Sometimes I visit huge plantations that cover whole mountainsides. But many independent farmers grow their own tea plants around their house, like here in the south of Sri Lanka.

Political turmoil in Darjeeling

13 September 2013

Don’t you think this landscape evokes calmness and tranquillity? Yet I took the photo in Darjeeling, a region that has been in political turmoil for more than 30 years. At regular intervals the local party calls for strikes in the hope of achieving some autonomy in the Indian Union, and the creation of a new state, Gorkhaland. Nowadays, all roads in the region are blocked, and the shops are shut.

A very special tea plantation

6 September 2013

Some tea plantations are really worth a detour. The one pictured here is situated on a tiny island off the coast of China. It is deserted apart from a handful of inhabitants and a few wild sheep. The island has an atmosphere of profound and palpable harmony.

The jasmine flowers that scent our tea

30 August 2013

It is difficult to imagine the amount of work that goes into making the tea we drink. To produce one kilo of a top quality jasmine tea, for example, it takes 2.5 kilos of jasmine flowers, no less. With 100 flowers, you can make just 25 grams. So no fewer than 10,000 flowers, individually picked by hand, are needed to scent a kilo of tea. And the plucking of flowers in the time-honoured tradition, which I witnessed last week in southern China, sometimes takes place in scorching temperatures.

Scenting tea with jasmine

23 August 2013

In China, the finest jasmine teas in the world are produced at the end of the summer. They come from Fujian province. The tea and flowers are combined at night, because the jasmine flower is special in that it waits until the evening to open and release its incredible fragrance.

Evening tea in China

16 August 2013

Instinctively, this photo makes me happy, because in Asia I discovered the pleasure of drinking tea in the evening, or even at night. In some western countries many people are reluctant to drink tea after 5 o’clock, but in China people enjoy it at any time, even late at night.

Sometimes, your cup is bathed in the warm reflections of the neon lights.

The steep slopes of Darjeeling

9 August 2013

Camellia sinensis grows very happily on steep terrain, as it doesn’t like water stagnating around its roots. In some regions of the world, like Nepal, or here in Darjeeling, the slopes are very impressive. As I travel around the countryside I often discover a little village clinging onto the hillside above a field of tea. Sometimes you wonder how the pluckers manage to harvest the leaves in such conditions.

The Toy Train of Darjeeling sets off!

2 August 2013

This summer, a number of you will be heading off on your travels. The Toy Train, too, is preparing for a scenic journey, as it leaves the station in Darjeeling. In eight hours it will be on the Terai plains, two thousand metres lower.

Different drinking habits

26 July 2013

When it comes to tea drinking, customs change from country to country. In Burma, for example, tea is served slightly diluted with sweetened condensed milk. You can like or not like this way of doing things, but one of camellia sinensis’ many qualities is its tolerance and its ability to make the people of our planet want to adapt it to their own taste.