What happens at a tea tasting
Why tasters slurp, and what they listen for in a cup.
How to brew Darjeeling properly
Less leaf, cooler water and a timer: three changes that make a difference.
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Notes from Kuasha Tea Co.
Guides, care tips and stories from behind the counter.
The perfect Kolkata cha
Strong, sweet and boiled: how the city’s roadside tea is made at home.
Keeping loose tea fresh through a Kolkata monsoon
Air, light, heat, damp and smell: the five things that spoil tea at home, and a simple way to beat each one.
First, second or autumn flush: choosing a Darjeeling
How the three picking seasons taste different in the cup, and which one to choose for mornings, guests or milk.
Pujo at home: tea for a houseful of guests
Brewing in quantity, keeping it hot and choosing teas that suit relatives, neighbours and late-night pandal hoppers.
From the garden to Park Street: how a lot is packed
The week after a lot arrives in Kolkata, from opening the chest to the pouch with the garden and flush on it.
A tea walk from Park Street to Dalhousie
Two hours on foot through the part of Kolkata where India’s tea trade grew up, with stops for cha along the way.
Tea myths we hear at the counter
CTC is inferior, green tea has no caffeine, boiling is always wrong: five common beliefs, looked at plainly.
Why a first flush Darjeeling costs ₹780 for 100 g
How picking, small harvests and air freight shape the price of spring tea, explained line by line.
New lots, the day they land.
A short note when each flush arrives from the gardens. Four a year.