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I remember my childhood spending wonderful summer months in Shimla,’ recollects silver-haired Usha, an octogenarian whose memories burn bright with nostalgia. Her father was an employee under the British government, in the days when the summer capital shifted every year from Delhi to Shimla.
In India, tea is a way of life. It permeates every strata of society and transcends all barriers of economic disparity—from the gleaming kitchens of the super-rich and upper middle class, whose ‘khansama’ or cook may bring out an impeccably set tea array, to the humble kitchen of the lower middle class where tea may be had in an unpretentious mug or glass; from the sparse hutment of the labourer, where it remains intrinsic to the shoestring food budget, to the slick corporate boardroom where business honchos make management decisions over a cuppa. Tea holds good everywhere.
With bated breath, tea lovers in London awaited the arrival of the sailing ship, Calcutta, to offload its first ever cargo of tea that had been manufactured in India, a faraway land where the enterprising East India Company, under the patronage of the Crown, was holding increasing political sway. The cargo was precious, as this small consignment was in effect, the chronicle of a bold struggle by British pioneers to grow tea in the sub-tropical north-eastern regions of Assam.
As a testimony to its past, Kolkata continues to be the ‘tea capital’ of the country and most head offices of the large players of the tea industry are based in this city. The erstwhile managing agency houses have been reconstituted and incorporated under the Indian Companies Act. For instance, in the late 60s, Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. Ltd (GACL) as it is now called, became part of the G.D. Kothari Group of Companies and deals in engineering, textiles, trading and tea.
Of all the tea aromas, however, there is none other than the fragrance of garden-fresh tea straight from the plantation, processed in its own factory. The beverage exhilarates with an added zest, in a world far removed from the urban clamour. In all likelihood you would be fascinated by the sheer spread of flat tea domains that stretch far into the horizon, as you sip your cup atop the sit-out of a Chang bungalow, if you happen to be in a tea estate in Assam.
Indian teas, having taken seed in different regions, are endowed with a multitude of characters, each unmatched in their body, liquor and aroma. This vast repertoire arises from the volatile responses of the tea plant to its varying environment. As a result, with such a diverse geography and weather patterns, this sprawling land produces so many varieties of tea that it is a sort of Nature’s Super Mall.
Considered by many as the Shangri-La of northeastern India, Assam is home to the immense flatlands, native to the tea plant, growing perhaps from time immemorial. They are ensconced within the folds of the Himalayas, Mount Naga and Patkoi, bordering China, Mynamar and Bangladesh.
The small and exclusive tea region around Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal is a jewel in the Indian treasure chest of tea. It spreads over the crests and slopes of the Phalut ridge of mountains that border Nepal and India. Endowed with a quaint celluloid beauty, the town itself is perched at a height of 2134 metres above sea level and it derives its name from the word Dorje Ling or, Abode of the Thunderbolt, which came from the mythological sceptre of Lord Indra, the God of Rain.
Home to the tea regions of South India, the Nilgiris and the coastal Western Ghats have a disposition far different from those of the Himalayas. Here, in these hilly heights with a subtropical setting, where winters are not too severe and humidity is stoked by two cycles of rainfall—the south-westerly monsoon as well as the north-easterly monsoon—the tea bushes experience no seasonal flushes and flourish throughout the year
Apart from its three main regional tea-growing belts, India has a posy of smaller tea growing pockets that make a discrete, though important, contribution to the country’s total output of the produce. Moreover, effectively these are ‘practical’ teas, as they are relatively inexpensive. Being more affordable, they find a ready home in the country’s enormous domestic market, besides being preferred by buyers for making blends.
It is 8:00 a.m. in Assam, and in the sprawling tea gardens of Assam Company Limited’s Greenwood Tea Estate, plucking activity is making a start. In the rest of the country, the time is 7:00 a.m., but here in this extreme north-eastern part of the country, the sun makes an early appearance. As though to ‘catch’ the day, several tea estates move forward their clocks to follow their own garden or bagan time, a tradition that carries on from the British times.
The tranquil and rather somnolent vistas of a tea plantation belie the toil and industrious activity involved in nurturing the tea bushes to yield the brew. The tea plant is unique, and has a sensitive temperament, so its leaf must be harvested with a specialised skill. The quality of the end product will depend largely on the selective plucking of the tea leaves, a delicate task, best performed by a woman’s hand.
Try getting into a conversation with a retired estate manager, better known as a ‘tea planter’, and you will detect the animation in his voice. He unleashes a treasury of anecdotes about his ‘plantation days’, painting vivid pictures of his work, his bungalow, his tryst with wild animals, and his reckless times of enjoyment at the club.
The young buds and their tender leaves which are plucked from the gardens so painstakingly eventually acquire a new avatar, a rebirth, as the familiar twisted dry black, brown or green tea leaves which, when steeped in hot water, unfurl in a silent pantomime to release their gentle aromas, with hues that range from pale gold to coppery red, to delicate shades of green.
The journey of the tea leaf from the garden to the cup cannot be complete until the tea taster gives his final verdict and identifies the quality of the end product. His is the last word on the subtle distinctions between ordinary, fine and superlative teas. This, however, is no regular ‘tasting’. It is an act of skilled professionalism and it would have taken a tea taster at least five years of training to earn his position. Only then would he have gained enough knowledge to be able to perceive the entire composition of the tea he tastes, right from its growing conditions to detecting the flaws, if any, in its processing. His task is not just to appreciate the tea but to critically analyse it.
A cup of tea. That’s all it is. But in the real sense, this everyday beverage deserves a position of honour in the culinary activity of the world. Savoured by all, it is unanimously agreed that this aromatic infusion, with its varying nuances of preparation, brings about a near magical transformation. It rejuvenates tired nerves and soothes the spirit into a sense of well-being.
Tea is a concoction steeped in history and traverses the passages of time, having given rise to some momentous global events. Wars have been fought, new countries born and several others brought to the international map by way of tea trade economies. Indigenous cultures have developed, based on the teadrinking habits of different races and national styles of tea presentation. Beautiful art forms have evolved in the form of a wide range of accessories and the development of some exquisite workmanship on teaware.
In this age of consumer specialisation and soft drinks explosion, the world of tea continues to hold its place. And not surprisingly so, for there is an incredible range of teas that are being produced to present selections that go beyond quantification.
Tea deserves all the preference it receives from those who relish it. The beverage not only has a high sustenance value, but has also been proven to endow several positive effects on health. In a world of progressive scientific research, the biological composition of the tea plant has come under study because of the correlation of longevity and health in many ancient tea drinking cultures like China and Japan.
Besides the archetypical tea preparations, including the ever-popular masala chai that has an established repute across India, and has presently transcended international borders with ever-increasing global demand, nowadays tea bars and luxury hotels within India are blazing new trends by developing innovative tea recipes, taking benefit of the generous and accommodating disposition of the leaf. Tea readily absorbs flavours from other additives, even as the brew lends itself to interesting adaptations, given its many aromas.
The perfect cup of tea cannot be a definitive recipe, as its ‘perfection’ is relative and hinges on individual choice. Almost every tea drinker prefers his own liking of brand, strength, preference of the amount of additives like milk and sugar—or no additives at all. The romance with tea is a very personal relationship.