When Kolkata youngsters warmed up to Darjeeling tea

"Darjeeling tea is like a Mozart symphony,” explained Sparsh Agarwal as he walked his guests through the nitty gritty of tea tasting at his residence in Alipore on a cold Sunday afternoon. “Professional tea tasters will not even taste the tea. They will be able to judge the quality simply by checking out the tea leaves and smelling the aroma after infusion,” he said.
While the guests relished the exotic aroma of tea that filled the room, Sparsh and his business partner Ishant gave them a lowdown on a variety of tea from their estate.“We have first flush, which is a spring harvest, second flush, which is a summer harvest, roasted flush is the monsoon harvest and autumn flush. Each variety is significantly different from the others,” said Sparsh, who also explained about a range of green tea.
The event saw a number of youngsters sipping on warm cups of black tea as they expanded their knowledge about the most loved hot beverage of the country. “To reach out to the younger generation, who are warming up to an array of gourmet coffee, we have introduced cold brew tea. A series of experiments was conducted before we could find the perfect leaves, which if brewed for 18 hours in cold water, release a taste to remember. This is way different from what people are used to having as iced tea,” explained Sparsh.
An art exhibition was also part of the event where Avidip Kundu presented his sketches. An urban sketcher, Avidip is deeply attached to Darjeeling and his love for the Queen of Hills was visible in his work. “This collection features elements that are beyond toy trains and Kanchenjunga. I have captured several other nooks and corners of that place in my frames. The travel enthusiasts that they are, most Bengalis will be able to immediately relate to these paintings,” said the artist.