I first heard of Ujjawal Chettri when we ordered tea cozies for Teabox, from his NGO, Reyso. I really liked that the Reyso had been set up to offer women working in tea gardens and those unemployed, a source... ... READ MORE
Latest Posts
How tea helped in the fight for women’s rights!
Tearooms are romantically portrayed as cozy and pleasant places to relax and enjoy teas with cakes, biscuits and sandwiches. Their mythology is reinforced through evocations of scones and clotted cream. Hidden behind the Olde Worlde facade is a darker... ... READ MORE
A Decade in Books
I hugely enjoyed writing the post on My 20s in Books. And so decided to follow it up with this one. I do like the idea of allowing books to define the years passed. It is true that I... ... READ MORE
Trending Posts
The Sulaimani Tea (Recipe Included)
May 17, 2016 In my family we consider Eid as an occasion to get together to do what we do best – eat…
Smetannik, a Russian tea tradition steeped in time
May 16, 2016 If I told you that Russians love their tea as much as they do their Vodka, if not more, you’d…
Tea processing techniques and classification of tea
May 23, 2016 Tea plants can be categorized on the type of plant, the appearance of the dry leaves, or the color of the…
Would you like some sugar in your tea? Or a little tea in your sugar?
Here’s a simple thought exercise. Imagine a standard cup of fresh brewed tea, with a sugar bowl beside it. Pick up the spoon and start adding sugar. One spoonful, two, three, four, five. Don’t stop. Six, seven, eight, nine,... ... READ MORE
Tea and Motherhood
The hand that rocks the cradle certainly rules the beautiful Nilgiris district, and this is why… For as long back as I remember groups of women in the Nilgiris have got together – sometimes once a week, sometimes once... ... READ MORE
The Glenburn Boutique Hotel, Darjeeling
There are a few places in Siliguri and Darjeeling that are perfect for a sighting of the majestic Kanchenjunga peak. And if there’s one spot in all of Darjeeling that allows for a spectacular view of the peak and... ... READ MORE
From history, a long and complicated relationship with tea
Tea has had a pervasive impact on almost all areas of society for almost four hundred years in the West and somewhere between two and three millennia in Asia. It has been a consequential and even pivotal factor in... ... READ MORE
A chronicler of the Nilgiris, S Muthiah
Mid morning, 36 degrees C in Chennai and I arrived for my interview with S. Muthiah – writer, journalist, cartographer and chronicler of the European era in South India, especially Chennai. “This is too early for me,” he said,... ... READ MORE
Irish tea, history and elevenish
Ireland is not generally thought of as emblematic of tea. But it stands out as, first, having the highest per capita consumption in the world, along with Turkey and way ahead of England. It also developed the most distinctive... ... READ MORE