So tonight we got picked up outside our guesthouse by Prashant and were greeted by Jan and Tom who were two American tourists stopping off in Delhi for a few days before heading onto meet their tour group and tour Nepal and other areas. They were nice people, we got the impression they were retired and very wealthy as they basically spend their life now travelling, when not staying in florida for the winter. They were very very American and explained how when on a recent cruise they met some proper Brits, I kind of wanted to exclaim that "what are we?" But i knew what they meant! But believe me, I can now say that I have met some 'proper americans' now!!
We drove straight to a little tea shop and got a tutored tasting of 5 teas. Now, drinking of tea is something I do well and after the 12 weeks of trying my best to cut down on my caffine intake i was looking forward to this, nearly as much as if it were a wine tasting...nearly! The first one was a white tea. White tea is hand picked at certain times in the cycle, the fibres are still attached to the leaf, it is steamed and packed to maintain the antioxidants, because it isn't macerated it does get oxidised and therefore not turn the brown colour most of us expect of tea. It has three times more antioxidants than green tea. This kind of tasted like warm water and I'm not a fan!!
The next tea was from south india, it was grown at altitude so the climate is consistent and it produces a consistent taste all year round. I didn't like that one either, i think i may have liked it with milk and sugar however.
Number three was a darjeeling tea. Phill liked this one, slightly more floral and a little bit honey and not too bitter.
Number four was an assam tea, seriously strong, smelt caramely and was almost spicy, neither of us liked this and it definitely needed milk and sugar. Assam is the biggest tea producing region, it is the blend of Assam teas at different times of the year that produce most English teas.
The final one was a palate cleanser. I could taste a sweetness and cinnamon and Phill got the cardamom. Most people drink this with a bit of saffron and almond if they are feeling a bit flush. I really liked this tea, i think it would make a really good cake too so i brought some of it. It will be good when i return to the Uk and cut down again on my caffeine intake:(
Location:Delhi and surrounds
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