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Nuxalbari Tea Estate India , covering an area of 1,200 acres, nestles in the foothills of the Himalayas in the Terai region of Darjeeling District. Its location imparts a distinct and unique flavour to its teas. Not as high as the Darjeeling tea gardens, the teas when made are darker in colour. And yet the cool winds blowing down from the mountains of the Himalayas ensure that the teas retain a beautiful, fragrant bouquet, and are flavourful and brisk.
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Our Tea Plants: |
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Call us sentimental. We know and love each tea bush like we would one of our children. Unlike other tea estates that uprooted all their old Chinese tea bushes in favour of high-yielding clonal varieties, we decided to keep them. Never mind that they yielded little, it seemed criminal to uproot 100 year-old bushes. We then decided to take cuttings and propagate the old variety. Today our nurseries are full of Chinese teas, and our new plantations have a mixture of Chinese bushes along with the new clonal varieties, giving the Nuxalbari cup a truly exclusive flavour. |
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Our Garden of Eden: |
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I have often wondered how it would have been if our family interests had been in steel, or car parts or textiles, and shuddered in horror. We are blessed, indeed. A day of work on the Darjeeling estate means being roused at dawn with birdsong and walking around amongst tea bushes and ancient trees from 7:30 am onwards. |
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We normally carry sandwiches and coffee, and breakfast out in the open under the shade trees. In winter, when the air is clear, we get magnificent views of the Kanchendzonga range, which stands out against the azure blue skies. Nuxalbari Tea Estate probably has the largest number or shade trees for a garden of its size, probably ranging into tens of thousands, with many different species, both local and non-endemic. We have the greatest number of Sal trees on our estate. A few are over a hundred years old and the largest measures 18 feet in circumference! |
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I have myself planted over 2,500 Teak and Mahogany saplings in the early ‘90s and watch with pride and pleasure as they grow taller every year. Besides the trees at our Darjeeling estate has some wild orchids, as well as a beautiful garden attached to the Planter’s Bungalow. This is my mother’s pride, and between January and March is a sight to see as it is bursting with the colour of a thousand blooms. |
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The estate is home to a number of birds and animals as well. On many occasions, Nuxalbari Tea Estate had played host to herds of wild Elephants! |
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