DARJEELING, INDIA  

April 18, 2014

Darjeeling was a learning experience for Michael and I, as we learned about the disempowering system of tea estates, where farmers sell their leaves to factories. Majority of tea production in the area is focused on quantity rather than quality. That's not to say that there isn't progress in the area, though, especially with this one place of hope that we were fortunate enough to visit during our travels. This magical place is called Mineral Spring - the first small tea growers project in Darjeeling, located in a beautiful valley a few miles down from the famous Darjeeling Town in the mountains.

 

Sunrise at Mineral Spring.

 

Those few miles took us an hour to travel via 4-wheel drive Jeep, as the road to the village is rocky, steep, and worn. At Mineral Spring Village, we met with a handful of these small growers, and heard about all the wonderful work that they are doing. At the forefront of Mineral Spring is Navin Tamang, a small tea grower and founder of Tathagata Farms.

 

Interview with Navin Tamang, of Tathagata Farms

 

Mineral Spring was first planted with Camellia sinensis (the tea plant) by a private company, that then abandoned the project after it was found unprofitable. After that, the Indian Government did something different for the first time, by redistributing the abandoned tea gardens among a local community of small growers, including Navin Tamang. The picturesque setting for the tea gardens has inspired the growers to use only natural methods to grow tea. They have found additional revenue opportunities including tourism, as one of the group's leaders has built an oasis for tourists that is popular on networks like TripAdvisor. 

 

The beauty of Mineral Spring is preserved with natural methods of farming.

 

After meeting with the growers, we were invited to sample some of the teas that they are producing for their own personal consumption. They learned their hand processing techniques from personal experience and cultural heritage, and are excited to receive feedback from the public so that they can make better tea. We're looking forward to do everything we can to help them!

If you are seeking a truly consciously-sourced tea from Darjeeling with unique quality, you need to look towards places like Mineral Spring.

 

Hand-crafted: Tathagata's black tea and green tea. 

 

 
Thanks for following the Amazing Tea Race!
Next on the itinerary: Nepal.
 
Team Tealet with Rajiv Lochan, our good friend and guide to India + Nepal.