This Darjeeling tea plantation champions tea as a luxe beverage to be appreciated, savoured
Tea is not just a beverage but an emotion in itself. While the world progresses towards a range of collaborative tea, we take a step back and explore one of the most luxurious tea—Darjeeling tea—through the eyes of Husna Tara Prakash, owner and managing director, Glenburn Tea Estate & Boutique Hotel, Darjeeling. Husna was recently a panelist at the India Luxe Lifestyle Forum, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce at Taj Bengal, and spoke to Indulge on the sidelines of the conference about the current status of Darjeeling tea, its future, the right way of drinking and more.
Excerpts:
Glenburn Tea estate has been making Darjeeling Tea an affordable luxury; tell us about its journey.
Glenburn is a Darjeeling Tea Estate. Darjeeling Tea itself is a luxurious product within the tea world. It is known as the ‘champagne of tea’. But it’s very unfortunate at the moment that the region is not doing very well because people are not willing to pay the price for a cup of Darjeeling tea compared to an Assam, Sri Lankan, or South Indian Tea. The difference between Darjeeling and other tea regions is that Darjeeling estates produce a very low volume of tea. So if they don’t sell that amount for a high price it’s impossible to take care of financial logistics that goes in producing that perfect cup of tea. The world needs to understand that it’s a very luxurious product that is soon going to disappear if people continue to undermine its value. Our journey has very much been about educating the consumer and valuing that cup of tea.
What kind of tea do people usually drink?
They drink a mixture of teas that are available in the retail space in India. The problem with the awareness of Darjeeling tea is that a lot of people do not have access to the very best Darjeeling teas. A good Darjeeling tea can even come from the monsoon season which is considered a low quality period. But people have forgotten what a quality cup tastes like. Darjeeling tea is traditionally exported to German and Japanese markets. Even the buyers over there are now complaining that they are just not being able to get that quality of Darjeeling anymore. It might be because of the generational shift that has happened within the tea estates and the quality that used to be produced 10-15 years ago is just not being produced anymore. It might be because they have lost the art of making that particular tea.
At Glenburn we are really trying to revive that quality; and make sure that whatever we produce, even if it’s a smaller quantity, it’s so quality – driven that our consumers will understand the difference between a regular and quality cup of tea. Even people who don’t drink Darjeeling tea, when they have a good quality cup, they realise that this is a tea that they could certainly enjoy.
What is the difference between a good quality tea and what is being regularly served in the market?
The difference is in the flavour. Darjeeling tea is known for its aroma and flavour. It’s like a perfumed cup of tea. It has the natural inherent qualities of the bush that gives you a first flush in March. The same bush even though its picked every 5-7 days, will give you a totally different muscatel flavour in June called the second flush; a different flavour in monsoon, and again in November. A customer who is educated and has access to that quality will be able to appreciate it.
How are you bringing the flavours of the tea estate to Glenburn Penthouse in Kolkata?
We use it in our culinary offerings and we have the Glenburn Café as well. It’s wonderful to see that even though we serve coffee and tea, our sales are quite even as people like our iced tea, specialty teas, etc. Our afternoon tea experiences at the Penthouse is also well received.
What is the right way to drink Darjeeling tea?
You can brew a Darjeeling tea in many different ways from 2 /3/5 minutes. It’s a very personal taste. I would encourage people to experiment with buying seasonal teas and try it at home. Never add milk, lemon or sugar. Drink it raw and unflavoured.
How do you see the future of Darjeeling tea?
I see it being limited within players that are willing to invest in the future. There are lots of people who are giving up on Darjeeling. But there is a select bunch of tea-growers who still believe in it, despite the hardships. The future will be governed by these few positive thinkers.