SPRING GRASSLAND – 75 Gms

There’s an obscure quote, rarely heard outside the Sandalwood jungles of Marayur – “Sandalwood trees give both shade and fragrance but you can only have one”. Sandalwood forests don’t smell of sandal – it’s only when they are razed that they are fragrant. It’s ironic, how we sometimes invite tragedy merely by realizing the value of something, other times its the inevitability, more than the realization that seems tragic but there are times- kinder, more empathetic ones – that redefine what we value and a certain ease of existence develops – one where both values and tragedies are shared.. Sandalwood jungles of Marayur still stand, sharing their shade in kinder times but the value and tragedy of their fragrance is now shared.

It was Gretel Ehrlich who wrote in ‘The solace of open spaces’ – “True solace is finding none, which is to say, it is everywhere.” Which, in turn, is to say, one doesn’t need to visit the Sandalwood jungles of Marayur to reconcile values – reconciliation can be found right in our back and front yards – in the simple act of mowing grass and the subsequent release of its fragrance. The last tea of Spring, Grassland comes bearing this reconciliation with the aroma of grass – the shared fragrance of domestication and wild Grasslands. There is no mistaking the aroma of grass either in the dry leaf of the brew. While it still has a sweet and complex profile with prominent notes of Baked fruits, Oranges and Lemons, they all circulate around the grassiest aroma. The taste is sweet like honey mixed with Nutmeg with a Varnish like finish. The floral frangipani, slightly soapy aroma makes its appearance as the tea cools down. Made from the AV2 leaves, it is a classical and comprehensive – complete with the Spring nuances- tea whilst still being a slightly heightened expression of Spring.