tea...

20 and counting.... yeah, that is the no of tea varieties you will find in my kitchen cabinets.

I was shocked myself..... ok! ok, there are a couple of tisanes thrown into that lot too.... rivals a mean selection at a tea shop or a cha bar.

My tryst with tea started when I was barely in my teens. kadak chai with adrak and a hint of cardamon is what I started with then (can't stand it anymore!). Living that long in Kolkata, the hub of tea trade, I learnt to appreciate tea, real tea.

Dolly's tea boutique in Dakhshinapan (in Kolkata) is where I bought most of my tea from (and still do, if my sister manages to make a trip there for me). It is an interesting place, the walls of the tiny boutique are layered with tea cartons, the rich smell of tea wafting all over, done up tastefully with brightly coloured block print cushions and tablecloths and little potted plants and bric brack from indian handicraft stores. Dolly, is a tea taster herself and sources the tea from her store from tea auction houses in Kolkata. Almost all tea of that quality is exported. People like Dolly (she was one of the first), realised that there was a market of tea connoisseurs in India too, so saved some of our best to sell here in India too.

I saw another tea store in the departure lounge of the Kolkata domestic airport.. Manjushree plantations and went crazy.. the loot (a part of it he! he!) is in the picture. My favorites.. darjeeling second flush and orange pekoe from the nilgiris

Now, back to my steaming hot golden brew..vintage collection Darjeeling tea from Manjushree plantations.. their website is under construction, so no link..