Indian Tea Industry: A Primer

29May07

Anuradha Anupkumar of The Times of India recently wrote an interesting piece called The Tale of The Tea Leaf. A good read for anyone wanting to get a quick overview of how the business of tea works in India — from plantation management to research, tasting and the auction system.

Filed under: auctions, india, industry, production, tea   |  Leave a Comment

On Spitting

29May07

There once was a man from Darjeeling Who got on a bus bound for Ealing. The sign on the door Said “Don’t spit on the floor,” So he carefully spat on the ceiling. [via: Jim Caldwell on 43 Places] For a scholarly analysis of spitting, see this.

Filed under: darjeeling, humor, offbeat   |  1 Comment

Napa Weekend

29May07

Spent a lovely day in the Napa Valley this weekend with the family. Brilliant weather, and lots (lots) of wine and cheese. My favorite vineyard: Chateau Montelena, the place that took the French by surprise and started California’s wine revolution. At every vineyard we visited, I couldn’t help but think about the potential of Darjeeling […]

Filed under: assam, darjeeling, marketing, napa, photos, tourism, wine   |  2 Comments

Another Way To Use Your Teapot

22May07

For those moments when you feel an uncontrollable urge to irrigate your nose. Well, it’s not really a teapot, but you could probably fashion a small teapot to be just as effective. On a serious note, I’ve seen this in action in India – with much more primitive, non-branded equipment – and practitioners say it […]

Filed under: health, teapot, video, yoga   |  Leave a Comment

Spam Art

22May07

This blog, and our many email inboxes, have been getting inundated with spam lately. Nothing new there. We expect it. Everything from offers for the latest in erectile dysfunction treatments to stuff much more sinister than that. All par for the course. Now, rather than simply bemoaning the unfortunate state of affairs that makes spamming […]

Filed under: art, spam   |  1 Comment