For a long time, I used to hate tea. And then I went to Darjeeling on a holiday.
On a 'site seeing' trip, we stopped at a tea shop by the road. It was quite cold and foggy. My parents (avid tea drinkers all their lives) ordered 2 cups of tea. I don't know why but I asked for a cup too. When the tea arrived, I took small sips of it. I was enjoying it so much. The mild flavor, the aroma, the whole experience was so uplifting, I actually had another cup.
That was the last though of tea for quite a while. After a few years, I read an article on the Darjeeling toy train. At that point, it all came back to me - those 2 cups of tea!
I suddenly craved uncontrollably for that tea and promptly got myself a pack of Darjeeling tea from our regular tea vendor.
I then started having a big cup every morning. I got someone to make it initially but realized that you needed to have passion for the tea to make it properly. They would boil the water less one day, put too much milk the next and too much sugar the next. So, I decided that I would make it myself.
So, I religiously boil a cup (200 ml) of water, pour it into a small bowl which has 2 teaspoons of Darjeeling tea, cover it with a lid and let it brew for 5 minutes. Then I pour it out into a cup, put about 2 teaspoons of milk and a teaspoon of sugar to get my manna for the day!
And I enjoy it best when I have it in my house, by the lawn, early in the morning when no one else at home is awake, there's no noise, there's absolute peace. And when I take a sip of the tea, the aroma and the taste together pamper my senses. And when I close my eyes I feel as if I am in the midst of a tea garden on the slopes of a hill in Darjeeling!
On a 'site seeing' trip, we stopped at a tea shop by the road. It was quite cold and foggy. My parents (avid tea drinkers all their lives) ordered 2 cups of tea. I don't know why but I asked for a cup too. When the tea arrived, I took small sips of it. I was enjoying it so much. The mild flavor, the aroma, the whole experience was so uplifting, I actually had another cup.
That was the last though of tea for quite a while. After a few years, I read an article on the Darjeeling toy train. At that point, it all came back to me - those 2 cups of tea!
I suddenly craved uncontrollably for that tea and promptly got myself a pack of Darjeeling tea from our regular tea vendor.
I then started having a big cup every morning. I got someone to make it initially but realized that you needed to have passion for the tea to make it properly. They would boil the water less one day, put too much milk the next and too much sugar the next. So, I decided that I would make it myself.
So, I religiously boil a cup (200 ml) of water, pour it into a small bowl which has 2 teaspoons of Darjeeling tea, cover it with a lid and let it brew for 5 minutes. Then I pour it out into a cup, put about 2 teaspoons of milk and a teaspoon of sugar to get my manna for the day!
And I enjoy it best when I have it in my house, by the lawn, early in the morning when no one else at home is awake, there's no noise, there's absolute peace. And when I take a sip of the tea, the aroma and the taste together pamper my senses. And when I close my eyes I feel as if I am in the midst of a tea garden on the slopes of a hill in Darjeeling!
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