Hello world!

This blog is about tea. More specifically it is about the online tea store, Darjeeling Tea Exclusive, which me and my wife run. Even more specifically, it is about the discoveries we make along the endless journey into the world of tea and commerce - the beauty and the beast of our lives.

Ultimately this is about the journey of  life. Indeed many of these discoveries have nothing to do with either tea or trade.

I am from Darjeeling, India and Mary is from the US. We both love tea. (No, that was not what brought us together. Beer at the local pub did.) And we love Life with all its details, big and small. Many years ago, as a student, I had read the following lines on the walls of a Kolkata (Calcutta) metro station.

"My offerings are not for the temple at the end of the road,

But for those wayside shrines,

That surprise me at every bend."

That was Tagore.  The other day, over our morning tea, those lines came back to me. My heart suddenly swelled with a gratefulness as I recited those lines to my wife. I could barely finish it. What can't one give for such moments!

The good thing about blogging is that it allows one to look at what could normally be dismissed as quotidian moments. But kitchen tables do turn into altars of light in a moment...

We have two kids. Tara and Rory. Tara will be three this July and Rory is a wee seven months old. They emerged from Mary's epiphany following a two-year long globe trot of exploration and self discovery. Family, she realized, was central to all individuals and societies, be it in French Polynesia or in the heartland of India. Indeed for me as an Indian, I am blessed to have a tradition of  unbreakable family ties.

And many of these ties are maintained over endless cups of tea.  Tea in the East is a symbol of community. It is good to see tea gaining ground in the West.

But I must say I am not sure how I feel about the Tea Party movement.  Nothing escapes politics. Or, may be nothing escapes tea!

For us, tea is about getting off the tread mill and savoring the moments of life.

Talking about which a tea-brewing-drinking lifestyle does make one conscious of one's health. It must be all the anti-oxidants in those many cups that do restore one's general sense of well being. Of course I have been teaed-out occasionally: drunk so much that my head began to swim. Not an enjoyable spot. Moderation is always the best thing. The Middle Path.

Just because they tell you drinking tea is good for health doesn't mean you have to drink by the gallon. The importance of a well-balanced diet and exercise cannot be minimized.

Darjeeling Tea Exclusive was established 2005. As the name suggests, we deal exclusively with Darjeeling tea and maintain exclusive lines of the tea. Darjeeling is best drunk without milk and sugar. There are exceptions; some we might suggest, some you'd have to try for yourself.

All of our teas are of exceptional quality, however,  tea preferences tend to be personal. Therefore, we try not to give too many details about the tea. We shall not give away the plot of the good story before you have had a chance to go through it yourself. Just be assured that the quality of our Darjeelings is among the best you can get.

We are here not only to sell tea. We are into building relationships that go beyond that of a buyer-seller. We are here to share good things of life. Tea happens to be just a small part of it.