What tea do you like
In my present assignment I am to help establish the outlet named “The Tea House” within the premises of comprising of six F&B outlets. In the last blog I discussed the possibility of matching the wine with the Indian food and so many of you would be surprised to learn that same matching of International food with Indian teas have been doing the rounds in the past few years. The mundane house tea of ours has several incarnation and even Indians have explored a few including their favourite “masala chai”. The other being with the addition of milk, cardamom, ginger etc.. The world of tea has not changed since our Grand Pa’s time but the theory of evolution is true for everything including tea. Understanding tea blending I happen to attend one tea appreciation session conducted by the tea master appointed by the eponymous ‘Tea Board of India’ in Mumbai where I came face to face with the importance of the art of blending of teas much like the art of blending wines which requires the expertise of wine masters. As this endeavour is quite new in perspective, blending tea is not everybody’s forte. Old masters adept in this art are not that encouraging and forthcoming as they fear losing their prized secret. Some of the aspects worth considering for blending would be the tea region, variety, tannin and caffeine content, flavouring etc. which makes it worth challenging. One can at the same time reflect on the following points which some of the tea seller make a unique sales proposition- the flavor of tea comes from essential oils contained in the leaves and not by adding the dried fruits alone. A bad tea will always remain a bad tea and any masking of its flavor would not render it good. A good quality tea will always shine through its flavor, aroma and wholesome taste. Tea growing regions of India: Assam: A state in North-East India known for its robust, high grade black tea characterized by their strong, full bodied, bright red infusion and smooth, round malty flavour. Assam tea is generally had with the milk and the one you most often see in India houses. It pairs well with Ham, mushrooms, fruit cakes, chocolates, fried poultry, English breakfast. Darjeeling tea: district of Darjeeling is in the North-East India in the state of West Bengal. It is in the foothills of Himalayas and the average altitude being 2000 meter. Tea from this region is often termed as “the Champagne of Indian teas”. It is light in colour with a delicate muscatel flavour and aroma with a crisp astringency. It pairs very well with Continental breakfast, tea sandwiches, spicy food, fish, poultry and desserts. Kangra Valley : The Kangra region in Himachal Pradesh was first introduced to tea in 1849, by means of a Chinese hybrid plant. Light, green tea is largely produced in the Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh. Nilgiris : The quality of tea produced here tastes quite like the tea produced in Ceylon, Sri Lanka. Nilgiri tea, as it is mostly reffered to, is originally grown in the jungle and mainly cultivated by small farmers and cultivators. It pairs well with continental breakfast, raw vegetables, potatoes etc. Some popular tea terms. Black tea- it is fermented green tea which has been oxidized by fermentation. It is the most common form of tea drunk worldwide Green tea- It is the non oxidized tea to avoid fermentation. They undergo roasting, rolling and firing and as soon as they are picked up they are heated to kill the enzymes which causes fermentation. White tea: the leaves are picked early in spring when they are still in their bud and covered with the fine silvery white hair - hence the name CTC- an acronym for crush, tear and curl which is a machine based process to obtain a stronger, more highly colored tea. Enjoy the tea and look out for the some of the recipes of popular Indian tea preparation for day to day life. Tags: vindaloo, idli, palak, handi, chana, tandoori, balti, sambhar, murgh, indian food
Himachal Pradesh is a petite hilly state in northern India and is one of India’s most stunning states attracting a large number of tourists every year. The state is also a major tea-producing region in India.
Tea is cultivated in the hilly regions of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu at altitudes as high as 800 to 2000 meters above sea level. During the dry season, this tea takes on a superior, slightly lemon flavor.
