While I was in Calcutta, India I was in "Oberoi Grand Hotel". This is
a 150 years old hotel and very popular to the foreign tea buyers. It
is a very historic hotel in Calcutta with hundreds of old Calcutta's
art. You can say the hotel also like a museum which represent the art
and culture of British Empire. I can tell from those art- once
Calcutta was the capital of British Empire in the sub-continent. I
want to share some of my tea related experience with you:

When I checked in they asked me if I have any personal preferences, I
said yes- a good tea set and some good loose tea. After finish my
paper works (Approximately 5-10 minutes) when I entered in my room, I
was so surprised to see my tea set and some loose fresh Darjeeling
tea. There were also some tea bags with wonderfully warped. Cream
color, elegantly designed tea bags- Finest Blend Tea bags: Specially
packed for- The Oberoi Group. Usually I don't drink tea bags but
somehow the beautifully warped tea bags attracted me. Each tea bags
were 2 Grams NETT. Guess what- it was a wonderful blended Darjeeling
tea. While I was brewing the tea bag with hot water my room was
flooded with Darjeeling flowery aroma. I had Darjeeling tea bags
before but none of them can ever challenge the aroma of Oberoi special
blend tea bags. After this experience while I was in my hotel room, I
never tried any other tea except this tea bags. I asked the hotel if I
can buy some of this tea bags but they said only for the hotel guest.
But the hotel was kind to provide 10 tea bags each day for me and I
have saved sixty tea bags from them. I think tea bags can be also very
good quality if the teas are fresh and blended by an expert blender. I
tear one tea bag and found out the blend was combination of CTC and
Orthodox(85:15 approximately). I have changed my thought about tea
bags now. Now I personally believe tea bags depend on the quality,
freshness and the expertise of a blender.


Ripon
(Dhaka, Bangladesh)

1/20/04


> While I was in Calcutta, India I was in "Oberoi Grand Hotel". This is
> a 150 years old hotel and very popular to the foreign tea buyers. It
> is a very historic hotel in Calcutta with hundreds of old Calcutta's
> art. You can say the hotel also like a museum which represent the art
> and culture of British Empire.


"Art and Culture of British Empire" ???????

>I can tell from those art- once
> Calcutta was the capital of British Empire in the sub-continent. I
> want to share some of my tea related experience with you:
>
> When I checked in they asked me if I have any personal preferences, I
> said yes- a good tea set and some good loose tea. After finish my
> paper works (Approximately 5-10 minutes) when I entered in my room, I
> was so surprised to see my tea set and some loose fresh Darjeeling
> tea. There were also some tea bags with wonderfully warped.

Ripon my friend, the word you want is "wrapped". But "warped" works very
nicely too.

>Cream
> color, elegantly designed tea bags- Finest Blend Tea bags: Specially
> packed for- The Oberoi Group. Usually I don't drink tea bags but
> somehow the beautifully warped tea bags attracted me. Each tea bags
> were 2 Grams NETT. Guess what- it was a wonderful blended Darjeeling
> tea. While I was brewing the tea bag with hot water my room was
> flooded with Darjeeling flowery aroma. I had Darjeeling tea bags
> before but none of them can ever challenge the aroma of Oberoi special
> blend tea bags. After this experience while I was in my hotel room, I
> never tried any other tea except this tea bags. I asked the hotel if I
> can buy some of this tea bags but they said only for the hotel guest.
> But the hotel was kind to provide 10 tea bags each day for me and I
> have saved sixty tea bags from them. I think tea bags can be also very
> good quality if the teas are fresh and blended by an expert blender. I
> tear one tea bag and found out the blend was combination of CTC and
> Orthodox(85:15 approximately). I have changed my thought about tea
> bags now. Now I personally believe tea bags depend on the quality,
> freshness and the expertise of a blender.


Well, during my adventures in India I drank a lot of tea. It never came in a
teabag. In fact, I never saw a teabag. But then, I was in India long before
teabags were invented. Seriously, no teabags, but no Oberoi Grand Hotel for
me either. I was lucky to find enough anas to afford to live "in" as opposed
to "next to" a hostel. (Dogs in India were mangy, that I can assure you.)
Tea? Lots of what we now call "chai," probably bad quality, but delicious
with the stuff of chai -- cloves and cardamom and cinnamum and so on, boiled
in and floating or sunk in the cup. That's the way I think of India. Good
memories generally.

Hope I haven't offended anyone. I think England is a very nice country, a
better one when staying put on it's little island. My feelings about my own
country are exactly the same. So much for that.

Home rule for Scotland.

Michael

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 11:21:24 GMT, Michael Plant >
wrote:

. com1/20/04

>
>> ...Each tea bags
>> were 2 Grams NETT. Guess what- it was a wonderful blended Darjeeling
>> tea.
>
>Well, during my adventures in India I drank a lot of tea. It never came in a
>teabag.

True, tea bags are a rare item in India. On the other hand Ripon
learned a valuable lesson. There is nothing wrong with teabags, just
the quality of the tea that tends to be put in it.

Michael Plant > wrote in message >...
> 1/20/04
>
>
> > While I was in Calcutta, India I was in "Oberoi Grand Hotel". This is
> > a 150 years old hotel and very popular to the foreign tea buyers. It
> > is a very historic hotel in Calcutta with hundreds of old Calcutta's
> > art. You can say the hotel also like a museum which represent the art
> > and culture of British Empire.
>
>
> "Art and Culture of British Empire" ???????

Sorry for my limited English knowledge. I wanted to say- All those
arts were about old British buildings picture. The way of colonial
english life style. Part of the Hotel's share is also owned by
British. Maybe thats why too much English infulence. But it was so
nice to see how- old British-India was.
>
> >I can tell from those art- once
> > Calcutta was the capital of British Empire in the sub-continent. I
> > want to share some of my tea related experience with you:
> >
> > When I checked in they asked me if I have any personal preferences, I
> > said yes- a good tea set and some good loose tea. After finish my
> > paper works (Approximately 5-10 minutes) when I entered in my room, I
> > was so surprised to see my tea set and some loose fresh Darjeeling
> > tea. There were also some tea bags with wonderfully warped.
>
> Ripon my friend, the word you want is "wrapped". But "warped" works very
> nicely too.

Thank you for your correction. I don't mind because English is not my
mother toung. Moreover Rec.food.drink.tea doesn't correct spelling as
Microsoft Outlook express -

> >Cream
> > color, elegantly designed tea bags- Finest Blend Tea bags: Specially
> > packed for- The Oberoi Group. Usually I don't drink tea bags but
> > somehow the beautifully warped tea bags attracted me. Each tea bags
> > were 2 Grams NETT. Guess what- it was a wonderful blended Darjeeling
> > tea. While I was brewing the tea bag with hot water my room was
> > flooded with Darjeeling flowery aroma. I had Darjeeling tea bags
> > before but none of them can ever challenge the aroma of Oberoi special
> > blend tea bags. After this experience while I was in my hotel room, I
> > never tried any other tea except this tea bags. I asked the hotel if I
> > can buy some of this tea bags but they said only for the hotel guest.
> > But the hotel was kind to provide 10 tea bags each day for me and I
> > have saved sixty tea bags from them. I think tea bags can be also very
> > good quality if the teas are fresh and blended by an expert blender. I
> > tear one tea bag and found out the blend was combination of CTC and
> > Orthodox(85:15 approximately). I have changed my thought about tea
> > bags now. Now I personally believe tea bags depend on the quality,
> > freshness and the expertise of a blender.
>
>
> Well, during my adventures in India I drank a lot of tea. It never came in a
> teabag. In fact, I never saw a teabag. But then, I was in India long before
> teabags were invented. Seriously, no teabags, but no Oberoi Grand Hotel for
> me either. I was lucky to find enough anas to afford to live "in" as opposed
> to "next to" a hostel. (Dogs in India were mangy, that I can assure you.)
> Tea? Lots of what we now call "chai," probably bad quality, but delicious
> with the stuff of chai -- cloves and cardamom and cinnamum and so on, boiled
> in and floating or sunk in the cup. That's the way I think of India. Good
> memories generally.

yes still Chai dominates the tea culture in India. Twining's has a
factory in Calcutta now, who produce tea bags. Also many Local Indian
companies but yes still Indian people love to use loose tea(blend of
Darjeeling Orthodox & Assam CTC) for their Chai masala. You are right
about taste of Chai too. I had many different tasted Chai masala
during my stay there.

Ripon
(Dhaka,Bangladesh)

1/21/04


> Michael Plant > wrote in message
> >...
>> 1/20/04
>>
>>
>>> While I was in Calcutta, India I was in "Oberoi Grand Hotel". This is
>>> a 150 years old hotel and very popular to the foreign tea buyers. It
>>> is a very historic hotel in Calcutta with hundreds of old Calcutta's
>>> art. You can say the hotel also like a museum which represent the art
>>> and culture of British Empire.
>>
>>
>> "Art and Culture of British Empire" ???????
>
> Sorry for my limited English knowledge. I wanted to say- All those
> arts were about old British buildings picture. The way of colonial
> english life style. Part of the Hotel's share is also owned by
> British. Maybe thats why too much English infulence. But it was so
> nice to see how- old British-India was.

No no no no no. Your English is fine enough. I was just having fun at the
(absurd) idea that England has or had a "culture". (Only joking, England.)
Happily, we in the good old USA lay no claims.
>>
>>> I can tell from those art- once
>>> Calcutta was the capital of British Empire in the sub-continent. I
>>> want to share some of my tea related experience with you:
>>>
>>> When I checked in they asked me if I have any personal preferences, I
>>> said yes- a good tea set and some good loose tea. After finish my
>>> paper works (Approximately 5-10 minutes) when I entered in my room, I
>>> was so surprised to see my tea set and some loose fresh Darjeeling
>>> tea. There were also some tea bags with wonderfully warped.
>>
>> Ripon my friend, the word you want is "wrapped". But "warped" works very
>> nicely too.
>
> Thank you for your correction. I don't mind because English is not my
> mother toung. Moreover Rec.food.drink.tea doesn't correct spelling as
> Microsoft Outlook express -

Your English is fine. Of course, you make some mistakes, but that's never a
problem. The word "warped" can mean "twisted". In a slang sense, it can mean
a bad mental state; that is, mentally sick. So, I thought your use of that
word regarding teabags very funny.
>
>>> Cream
>>> color, elegantly designed tea bags- Finest Blend Tea bags: Specially
>>> packed for- The Oberoi Group. Usually I don't drink tea bags but
>>> somehow the beautifully warped tea bags attracted me. Each tea bags
>>> were 2 Grams NETT. Guess what- it was a wonderful blended Darjeeling
>>> tea. While I was brewing the tea bag with hot water my room was
>>> flooded with Darjeeling flowery aroma. I had Darjeeling tea bags
>>> before but none of them can ever challenge the aroma of Oberoi special
>>> blend tea bags. After this experience while I was in my hotel room, I
>>> never tried any other tea except this tea bags. I asked the hotel if I
>>> can buy some of this tea bags but they said only for the hotel guest.
>>> But the hotel was kind to provide 10 tea bags each day for me and I
>>> have saved sixty tea bags from them. I think tea bags can be also very
>>> good quality if the teas are fresh and blended by an expert blender. I
>>> tear one tea bag and found out the blend was combination of CTC and
>>> Orthodox(85:15 approximately). I have changed my thought about tea
>>> bags now. Now I personally believe tea bags depend on the quality,
>>> freshness and the expertise of a blender.
>>
>>
>> Well, during my adventures in India I drank a lot of tea. It never came in a
>> teabag. In fact, I never saw a teabag. But then, I was in India long before
>> teabags were invented. Seriously, no teabags, but no Oberoi Grand Hotel for
>> me either. I was lucky to find enough anas to afford to live "in" as opposed
>> to "next to" a hostel. (Dogs in India were mangy, that I can assure you.)
>> Tea? Lots of what we now call "chai," probably bad quality, but delicious
>> with the stuff of chai -- cloves and cardamom and cinnamum and so on, boiled
>> in and floating or sunk in the cup. That's the way I think of India. Good
>> memories generally.
>
> yes still Chai dominates the tea culture in India. Twining's has a
> factory in Calcutta now, who produce tea bags. Also many Local Indian
> companies but yes still Indian people love to use loose tea(blend of
> Darjeeling Orthodox & Assam CTC) for their Chai masala. You are right
> about taste of Chai too. I had many different tasted Chai masala
> during my stay there.

My major point is that chai for me is a hand full of tea, boiling water and
milk, and some whole spice mixed up with jaggery (sp?), and drunk nice and
hot from a primitive earthenware cup. That's the life.

Michael

"Ripon" > wrote in message om...
> Michael Plant > wrote in message >...
> > 1/20/04
> >
(Much snipping)
> > Tea? Lots of what we now call "chai," probably bad quality, but delicious
> > with the stuff of chai -- cloves and cardamom and cinnamum and so on, boiled
> > in and floating or sunk in the cup. That's the way I think of India. Good
> > memories generally.
>
> yes still Chai dominates the tea culture in India. Twining's has a
> factory in Calcutta now, who produce tea bags. Also many Local Indian
> companies but yes still Indian people love to use loose tea(blend of
> Darjeeling Orthodox & Assam CTC) for their Chai masala. You are right
> about taste of Chai too. I had many different tasted Chai masala
> during my stay there.
> Ripon
> (Dhaka,Bangladesh)

Hi, Reading your posts reminded me that I have a jar of Mangal Chai Massala.
I will make myself a cup immediately. 8^)
I acquired a taste for Pakistani tea when I helped a family start a restaurant.
I find adding the Cardamom,cinnamon,ginger & nutmeg makes for a very pleasant drink.
The strange thing is that they add milk just like we English do.
--
Dave Croft
Warrington
England
http://www.oldengine.org/members/croft/homepage/
http://community.webshots.com/user/crftdv