Tea Garden Bungalows: January

24Jan08

I recently received some beautiful scanned images that show artist renditions of tea garden bungalows in Assam. They’re part of a calendar, so I thought I’d start by posting this one from January. Visiting Agent’s Bungalow in Pertabghur, Assam. Artist: Abanta Bora. According to Williamson Magor, the owners of this particular estate: “Pertabghur derives its […]

Filed under: assam, bungalows, calendar, tea   |  5 Comments

Who Wants to Be a Tea Taster?

31Oct07

If you’ve ever wanted to become a tea taster, you could probably learn a thing or two from Atanoo Baroowa. Mr. Baroowa sits down with us to discuss tasting, auctions and a whole lot more.

Filed under: assam, auctions, behind the cup, industry, tasting, tea   |  47 Comments

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

Jugalbandi

09Apr07

Jugalbandi means “tied together”. The term has deep roots in Indian classical music and generally refers to a “call and response” type pattern in which two musicians literally go at it in an improvisational frenzy. The magic that happens in a jugalbandi is a lot like the collective improvisation that occurs in jazz. In jugalbandhi, […]

Filed under: assam, commercials, darjeeling, india, music, tea, video   |  17 Comments

Miracle – Thy Name is Neem

06Apr07

Photo courtesy Flickr user sk_vel India is hoping that Azadirachta indica will prove to be a miracle for the tea industry. Before we get into the specifics of why, the scientific name of the Neem tree is interesting – it’s actually derived from Persian. Azad: Free Dirakht: Tree i – Hind: Of India Literally, the […]

Filed under: assam, health, india, industry, kolkata, neem, organic, production   |  3 Comments