Tea tasting with Goodricke Tea

“Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea.” 

Tea is of utmost importance. It is one of the best creations of Mankind. From the beginning till today, tea has been an indelible part of human existence. I have always been a tea-addict as far as I can remember. So when "The Psychedelic Diaries " was invited for an exclusive tea tasting session from, Goodricke tea with a customized invite, I was excited to say the least.

I have never been invited to a tea tasting session nor I have ever been a part of any kind of bloggers event. It was first of its kind. 

The tea tasting session was conducted by Goodricke tea at Goodricke House which is located in Gurusaday Road, Kolkata.  As far as the company is concerned, Goodricke is a Camellia PLC group company, It is an Indian company with British values. Currently, it owns 31 tea gardens which are spread over Darjeeling, the Dooars and Assam, Goodricke is currently the 2nd largest tea producer in India. 

When we entered the huge tea-tasting room, the strong smell of tea engulfed us. 

We were welcomed by the veteran tea-taster, Mr Binod Gurung who gave us an insight of tea tasting.

It's kind of an art. You don't swallow the tea. All you have to do is sip a little bit and ensure it covers your taste buds before spitting it out. 

Tea can be broadly categorized into two. The CTC and leaf varieties. The CTC varieties are best tasted with milk and the leaf varieties without milk. Mr Gurung focused mainly on the leaf varieties which can be again broadly categorized into two. The first flush and the second flush. 

The first flush is the lighter version which are harvested in the month of March and April. The second version is the stronger version which are harvested in June. The second flush is also best tasted with milk. I, for obvious reasons, loved the second flush. 

Notice the difference between the first and the second flush

As far as CTC or the orthodox variety is concerned, it is prepared with 2.5 gms of tea leaves in 160 ml of boiling water for 5 mins. After the tea is brewed, the liquor is kept separately. Just like the liquor, the tea leaves are also graded before and after brewing. Like the second flush, the CTC variety is also best tasted with milk. Mr Gurung also informed that 600 cups of different varieties of tea are prepared on a daily basis at  the Goodricke House.

So, what's your tea story?