Day 18
India
Kumaon District
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
– Rumi
Today’s Tea & Peace Reflection
provided by
Jane Schueler
Instant Calm
A sound meditation
Peace rests within us and a sip of tea connects us with this experience whether alone or shared with others. The CalmZone meditation offers a moment to pause and enhance the feeling of inner peace. So while your tea is brewing, nestle into a comfortable position and surrender to the sounds of the ocean and the voice of calm.
Today’s Tea Region:
Kumaon District, India
The tea included in the Global Tea Blend has been provided by:
Young Mountain Tea
Kumaon District, India
Kumaon or Kumaun is one of the two regions and administrative divisions of Uttarakhand, a mountainous state of northern India, the other being Garhwal. A substantial portion of the region is part of the Himalayan Mountain Range. Other areas are hilly and heavily forested with other areas providing a perfect combination of elevation, soils and climate to produce high quality tea.
ORGANIC KUMAON WHITE
Origin: Kumaon, India
Garden: Champawat
Infusion Suggestion: 5 minutes at 170oF Certifications: USDA Organic
Harvested as the tea plant wakes from winter dormancy,
this spring tea captures the fresh and floral aromas of new growth. The green leaf is carefully transported from field to factory where it is minimally handled before being dried.
GARDENS & GROWERS
The British planted several of their original tea test plots in Kumaon. The plant thrived in the Himalayan soils, but the region’s isolation prevented the British from creating viable supply chains. With the discovery of tea in Assam, the Kumaon plots were abandoned. In the 1920s, a group of six families moved to Kumaon from Sri Lanka to revive tea cultivation.
. To make this tea, Mr. Birkbeck studied the approach of Darjeeling producers, learning the art of the semi-oxidized black tea.
A LEAF WITH AN IMPACT
Kumaon tea farmers earn 5-10 times the average rates of Indian tea farmers. Young Mountain Tea provides additional income opportunities through facilitating homestay programs. Our company also connects Kumaon communities to progressive leaders in the tea industry, whose expertise is shaping Kumaon’s tea development. Drawing on local knowledge and international partnerships, Kumaon tea farmers are creating the next generation of Indian teas.
To date, Kumaon teas have not been certified Fair Trade due to the costs involved. We look forward to the day when the volume of Kumaon tea supports the certification.
For the last three generations, the Birkbeck family has been leading the revitalization efforts. Ten years ago they partnered with the regional government to spread tea throughout Kumaon, and today more than 2,000 Kumaon households produce 120,000 pounds of tea annually
Revival of Tea in the Kumoan District
Kumaon was first planted with tea in the 1850s, but was too far from any port to get the tea out of the mountains. The tea experiments were abandoned, and for 140 years, the tea thrived in the wild. Beginning in the 1990s, the government began to revive tea cultivation as a way to create rural livelihood opportunities for local communities. One of the men who has been involved since the beginning of this “revival of old glory” is Mr. Desmond Birkbeck, a native Kumaon son.