Day 1 To London then to Muscat. Natural History Museum. Plane. Shiny Floors.
Day 2 Muscat to Mumbai. Mumbai Madness. Heat. Smell.
Day 3 Mumbai. As above.
Day 4 Mumbai to Guwahati to Kaziranga. Silly plane journey. Silly bus journey. Abandoned. Sleepy outside.
Day 5 Kaziranga. Bliss. Relax.
Day 6 Kaziranga to Behora. Rhino-sauri.
Day 7 Behora Tea Estate. Tea.
Day 8 Behora to Kurseong. Travel travel travel, new tea estate, evening gathering, bed.
Day 9...
Bloody cockerel.
Ear plugs were necessary. Sam appeared to find the OmanAir complementary sleeping mask necessary also. Each to their own.
Breakfast, 9 am, Aloo Paratha and eggs.
-view to the makaibari brew HQ, from our sleep place-
A tea tasting was organised the previous night. All the guests that had been at the social gathering were to meet at 10am at the tasting room.
This, of course, meant 11am.
Fantastic it was too. Mr Banerjee is a true entertainer. He appears to relish in the theatrical, and consequently captivates people and enthrals his audience, and will not lose their attention until he is done.
Even an interrupting senior will be politely put in his place if he dares distract the Master from his calculated ramblings. You would have trouble to find a more passionate ambassador for quality and ethicality in tea production. He did, in a matter of minutes, what we have been struggling to do for months and months. That is convert people who have never experienced real, beautiful, pure, unadulterated tea into avid conciencious orthodox tea drinkers and appreciators. Because at first, what you drink at Makaibari will be like nothing else you have previously whetted your whistle with. It will be subtle, and you will need guidance and assistance. But, like the first time you discover you can do 3D magic eyes-
-the moment that you discover that what you are drinking is incredibly delicious feels tremendously triumphant, liberating, and like you have been initiated into the elite.
Through the course of a tea tasting session with Mr Banerjee, you are taken on a journey with your fellow tasters. Which begins as spring allows the Camelia Sinensis bushes to start sprouting, which in turn allows the production of the precious 1st Flush teas to commence. Through to the 2nd flush Summer teas, including the mysterious muscatel, which wouldn't be if it weren't for green fly excrement. And finally to the easily overlooked Autumnals. With numerous 'Exoticas' in-between all this flushing. Including the most expensive tea in the world. The Silver Tips Imperial. An exquisite white tea.
The workers enjoy having Mr Banerjee as their manager. They have the upmost respect for him, and hold him in high regard. This comes from his apparent work ethic. The most encouraging methods for any boss is for them to practise what they preach, get their hands dirty, and to lead by example. Mr Banerjee does just that, and more. He knows his product. He has the final say in quality. He can identify which specific area of his estate the tea has come from, a skill that nobody can turn their nose up at. He is positive, seeing hugely detrimental changes in weather patterns as a challenge, not a catastrophe. The new tea season he hits with a hopeful and passionate frame of mind, not one of fear and foreboding. All this, combined with intelligence, affability, charisma and charm creates a hugely influential character. A whirlwind of a man.
This was my second tasting session with Mr Banerjee, my first time being a solo event. And i left the tasting room with the same feeling on both occasions. That of pure excitement.
Excitement for the whole Makaibari enterprise.
Excitement for the future of Quilliam Brothers.
Excitement that comes with the confidence from knowing that your product is a fantastic one, and you are able to bring it to many people.
Excitement that comes from working with such passionate people as Mr Banerjee.
And just excitement from being in the Darjeelingy area again, and seeing what was a dream becoming reality.
We declined an invitation to a farewell picnic for a lady who'd been working there on projects for a month or so, as we had an invitation to hang out at the factory that afternoon. Well, maybe not hang out. As it's hard for we brits to pull off hanging out. We rarely hang out like you from the West do. At the mall. Or at Dairy Queen. Or at my place, watch some movies, get some pizza. We loiter. Awkwardly.
'Hey guys! Wanna go loiter awkwardly at the mall? Get some frozen joghurt?'
So, we did go and loiter at the factory, after lunch and snoozes. No FroYo to speak of though.
They were producing their Bai Mu Dan white tea that afternoon. White tea's are not oxidised. Oxidisation in the leaf creates caffeine, and destroys the antioxidants. The highest caffeine content, and lowest antioxidant content belong to the more oxidised teas. Black teas, then green teas. Oxidisation only starts when the leaf is bruised. The catalyst that usually causes the oxidation process to begin, what bruises the leaves, is the rolling. It bashes and squashes the leaves. And the 30ish minutes that the leaves spend in the rolling machine are enough for it to no longer be a white tea. So white tea cant be mechanically rolled.
I interrupt this tea wittering for an important news flash...
So, the production of Makaibari's Bai Mu Dan takes the freshly picked leaves (a high percentage of them being two leaves and a bud), chuff them on the floor over night to wither slightly and throw them straight through the dryer. As there is no need to mechanically wither or roll. What you are left with is a completely intact tea crisp, or chip if you are from across the pond. It tastes delish straight out of the dryer into the mouth, crunch, and even more delish in a cup with not quite boiling water and 2 minutes of your time, slurp.
We had a insightful and enjoyable afternoon in the factory, being looked after by simply lovely people. Fascinating factoids and tricks of the trade learnt.
Arrangements made for first flush tea processing the following morning.
Food. Read. Decline offer of food. Poker. Food. Tea. Tranquility. Food. Sleep.
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