Rejuvenated silky little leaves in gaiwans recapture their lush velvetique garden presence.A few itinerant leaves of whom went rogue? Up to 70% oxidation of these lush plummy leaves. Verdant leaves are quite intentional in their unique firing process. Beyond self-drinking. Absolutely un-blended, totally orthodox leaf. A sprinkling of green leaf in the finished dry leaf stage is a signature mark of Gopaldhara’s unique “impressionistic effect”Culinary techniques of for example “firing a the tops of a creme brule” or a lone star melba peach atop a tart? Original splendor of pure greenery layered with elevated complexity through artful means of sculpting leaves. Creates mirrored oxidations which doubly effects flavor profile with toffee muscatel and wine citrus toasted notes combined with delicate flora in eventual cuppings.

Darjeeling - The Victorian Charm

Himalaya Tour Packages

Darjeeling is the Queen of India’s hill stations. Its setting is one of incomparable beauty. A Victorian town of old world charm ‘discovered’ by the British, it is almost completely surrounded by fragrant tea gardens which seem to flow over the layered slopes like emerald swells on a rough sea. These are in turn interspersed by untamed jungle of Fern and Bamboo, groves of sweet smelling Coniferous trees and hamlets lost and which may be the finest this earth has to offer, It hits one like Darjeeling’s true name, “Dorje Ling”, or ‘Place of the Thunderbolt’.

Part Victorian holiday resort, part major tea-growing centre, Darjeeling straddles a ridge 2,200m up in the Himalayas and almost 600-km north of Kolkata. Its been more than 50 years since the British departed, still the town remains as popular as ever with holiday-makers from the plains, and promenades such as the Mall and the Chowrasta still burst with life.

Darjeeling is a fascinating tourism place rich in natural beauty and surrounded by the Buddhist monasteries. Its beauty surpasses any other hill station of India.

Lavish Magnolia Campbellii of the Himalayas is just one of the jewels in her crown…..

Campbell’s Magnolia (Magnolia campbellii) is a species of Magnolia that grows in sheltered valleys in the Himalaya from eastern Nepal, Sikkim and Assam east to southwestern China (southern Xizang, Yunnan, southern Sichuan) and south to northern Myanmar.

It is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree growing to 30 m, rarely to 45 m, tall, with smooth grey bark. The leaves are 10-23 cm (rarely to 33 cm) long and 4.5-10 cm (rarely to 14 cm) broad, fuzzy underneath and with an acute apex. The flowers are very large, 15-25 cm (rarely 35 cm) diameter, with 12-16 tepals, which vary from white to dark pink. They appear very early, before the leaves, opening from late winter to early spring. After opening, the innermost tepals remain erect while the others spread widely. This arrangement may shelter the stamens and stigmas from rain, snow, and other harsh environmental conditions common during their very early flowering time period.

There are two varieties:

• Magnolia campbellii var. campbellii. Western part of the species’ range, in the Himalaya. Shoots and flower stalks thinly hairy.
• Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata. Eastern part of the species’ range, in Yunnan and surrounding areas. Shoots more densely hairy, flower stalks thickly felted.

[edit] Cultivation

It is grown as an ornamental tree for its spectacular flowers, though successful flowering is limited to mild areas with no late spring frosts; var. mollicomata flowers slightly later and is less likely to have its flowers frost-damaged. Young trees take a long time to reach flowering age and need deep, moist soil and a mild, sheltered site. Several cultivars have been named, including ‘Alba’ (white flowers), ‘Charles Raffil’ (bright purple-pink flowers; starts flowering on younger trees), and ‘Strybing White’ (white flowers). A number of hybrids with other Magnolias have also been developed.