AUTUMN SERENADE – 50 Gms

You can welcome a tea, you can accommodate a tea, you can choose a tea but chances are you’ve never felt welcomed, accommodated or chosen by a tea. This, here, is that Providence. We didn’t find it. It found us. As will it find you, eventually. To what beginnings, thereafter, will be personal, living stories, untold but nevertheless profound.

Words would be too cementing to describe this; not even poetry would justify – Sounds would be more befitting- Sounds are more fluid; and when made by human hands and voice, they convey the inclusion and providence. Listen to Nina Simone singing ‘Feeling Good’ and you’ll find the sounds that describe this tea. What complements and contrasts the Sweet, nasal voice of Ms. Simone?? A Heavy brass department! …. And you can hear the brass – the trombone the tuba and the piano, all kick in together, when you slip into this Autumn Serenade – ‘Feeling Good!!’ ….and the birds flyin’ high, the sun in the sky, Stars when they shine, and scent of the Pine, will all know how you feel.

The Dry leaf smell Autumn-Sweet – of Apricots and Raisins. The leaves are delicate with an abundance of ‘Hair’. The brewed tea is crispy and very syrupy. The flavor is like jazz – there’s a whole improvised arrangement of notes, timings and patterns for you to be led by. The notes are very fluid, very ‘Serenade’ – you can cue yourself in, to even make them up as you go! ……Flowery, Fruity, Honey like, Tanginess of Raisins all happen to make improvised appearances that’s perfectly timed in the Serenade. Remember, all this unravels while your mouth is coated with sweetness. The Depth and profile of the flavors is not at all complicated to follow, despite the arrangement – just like Ms. Simone.

The leaves, when plucked, are frosted – what that means is it’s collected in very low Darjeeling temperatures, early in the frosted mornings. How the relationship between the leaves and the frost unfolds, we can never know. But the consequence that suffices to our end is that the flavors are more concentrated. Not to mention, the careful handpicking in such conditions is more an act of willingness and spirit than adversity overcome by physical labor. Such care and willingness set the stage for the even more patient process of drying and hand rolling. Each leaf is rolled by hand.  The amount of ‘hair’ or fur you’ll see in the dry tea leaves is testament to the hand rolling. It also is the reason why the dry leaf picture appears slightly spotted and jittery.

When you’re done with your first brew, whiff the leftover tea at the bottom of the cup- it’ll make you slurp it too, then smell the brewed tea leaves and you won’t feel any hesitation to steep another cup – You’ll find the Serenade still ‘sounds’ the same!

…And this old world, is a new world, and a bold world…For me.

Brewing Instructions: 2.5 Gms of Brass with 180 ml Vocals at 85 Degree Celsius for the whole 3 min duration of the Serenade.