Tea Tour?

[knitmehere]

I've had dozens of reasons to visit India, but I never thought that tea would be one of them! I absolutely love all types of tea, and it's wonderful to hear that India has so many types and so many different places that I could visit to learn about and taste new types!

Like everyone else, I feel that the more you read about other people's travel plans, the more inclined you are to open up and use some of their ideas as your own.

 

[HIraeth]

Darjeeling isn't very far from my hometown, only an overnight train ride. I've visited the "Queen of Hill Stations" (as the place is called) many times, visited the tea gardens too but I have't really stayed overnight in any og them. I believe if a tea tour holiday is what you're primarily looking at, it's ideal that you spend the extra buck and stay at an estate as opposed to a hotel. This will give you an intimate experience of the real scene that unfolds in a tea garden. Given that the gardens are so very beautiful, I can only imagine how wonderful staying in an estate will be. I'm actually thinking of going for a tea tour some day in the near future myself now! But a lot of saving to do before that.

As for your question regarding monsoon. It's best that you avoid Darjeeling or any hill station for that matter during the monsoons. There are always chances of landslides, and you wouldn't want your holiday to be jeopardized because of such unpredictable calamities, as had happened to me on one of my trips there. I believe you have been warned about monsoon because of how mucky certain places can get due to all the water and situations of waterlogging and flooding. Also, in congested cities, monsoons can a get a bit too uncomfortable especially if you're travelling.

All this said, I still find monsoon one of the most beautiful seasons that we have here. And as @HK Thaker mentioned, Kerala looks lush and throbbing with life during this wet season. Being so full of lakes and rivers and the backwaters, waterlogging and flooding are never issues in this place. Monsoon brings out the life of this place like nothing else does. You would have to see it to believe it. All I can say is that it's truly heavenly.

 

[briannagodess]

What's the best time of year to see the plantations?

December, January and February. The only dormant months.

March and April. Leaves produced during this time are “the first flush." They are described as light, crisp and springlike.

May and June. These months yield “the second flush”, described as earthy like the smell of the first rain falling on parched soil with hints of chocolate and apricot.

July to mid-October. These months provide the stronger “monsoon flush”, which is full and ripe. The ending weeks provide the flowery fourth or autumn flush.

Is there enough time to take a train or should I just fly?

Taking the train from Delhi to Darjeeling can take up to 26 hours, so there is enough time within your 10 days.

Is the area between Delhi and Darjeeling particularly beautiful?

I think that halfway through the journey, colourful mountain towns, lush scenery and dozens of waterfalls await you.

 

[knitmehere]

A tea trip might make for a good birthday month vacation for me, it seems. Reading through your descriptions, the May/June variety would be the type that would draw me in, and my birthday happens to be in May. That's also a good time for my family to travel because my daughter gets out of school at the end of May.

The scenery is definitely a plus as well. I need some new stock photography for my blogs, and I'm just in an overall better mood when I'm around beautiful sights.

 

[Drifter]

A tea tour is an intriguing prospect - I will definitely be adding this to my itinerary! I was lucky enough to experience a tea ceremony in Kyoto and was absolutely charmed by the history and respect the Japanese have for this tradition, so to be able to visit the 'home of tea' in India would be similarly enlightening.

 

[Aja]

Wow! Great idea! I love Darjeeling tea, but it never occured to me to check out how and where it was made. I think that could be an interesting tour, and I may consider planning one in the near future.

 

[artyarson]

Like many of us here I like the whole idea. I've been drinking tea for a long long time. I enjoy good tea in so many different tastes and variations. And India is the country where it mostly comes from.

 

[JKewe]

March and April. Leaves produced during this time are “the first flush." They are described as light, crisp and springlike.

May and June. These months yield “the second flush”, described as earthy like the smell of the first rain falling on parched soil with hints of chocolate and apricot.

July to mid-October. These months provide the stronger “monsoon flush”, which is full and ripe. The ending weeks provide the flowery fourth or autumn flush.

Thanks for this detailed explanation. I have bought teas labeled as first flush and second flush, but never had such an evocative description. This is wonderful!

 

[Rahul4640]

A tea tour is an intriguing prospect - I will definitely be adding this to my itinerary! I was lucky enough to experience a tea ceremony in Kyoto and was absolutely charmed by the history and respect the Japanese have for this tradition, so to be able to visit the 'home of tea' in India would be similarly enlightening.

Wow! Great idea! I love Darjeeling tea, but it never occured to me to check out how and where it was made. I think that could be an interesting tour, and I may consider planning one in the near future.

A tea trip might make for a good birthday month vacation for me, it seems. Reading through your descriptions, the May/June variety would be the type that would draw me in, and my birthday happens to be in May. That's also a good time for my family to travel because my daughter gets out of school at the end of May. The scenery is definitely a plus as well. I need some new stock photography for my blogs, and I'm just in an overall better mood when I'm around beautiful sights.

I think you will love it if you stay at Glenburn tea estate. Though slightly expensive, all food (including breakfast and snacks) are included in the rates. You will be staying within a 1600 acre estate which produces one of the best quality Darjeeling tea. Please insist on staying at Burra (big) Bungalow, which is the where the original planters used to stay. It has a large balcony, a large living room with fireplace, dining room and library. Even two of the four suites there have old time fireplaces. I guess you all will love your stay.

 

[summertime]

is it bad that I've never even heard of a tea tour? How many different types of tea could there possibly be to justify scheduling an entire tour around it?

 

[jnorth88]

This sounds amazing. I love tea, and really enjoyed the tea when I was in Asia. What you can buy in the stores here in the US, or South America does not compare to even the low quality tea in India. I have read the thread, and love what everyone has mentioned. I am going to incorporate this in my own itinerary. Thanks.