A Traveler’s Perspective: Jungpana

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The Darjeeling tea estate of Jungpana has a unique history for its name. According to Norbu Tea Company, there are two possible origin stories. One Norbu Greg heard from the locals states that the name is an alteration of the Farsi word “Jahanpanah”, which means “Shelter of the World” – in reference to how the estate resembles a palace on a hill. The other posits that the name was a blending of “Jung” (the name of a Gurkha guide who got mauled to death) and “Pani” – the Nepali word for “water”.

I like to think it’s a combination of the two – the name given to a brave Gurkha who fended off rabid tea-thieving werewolves atop a hill. That’s how I’d want to go. Where was I going with this?

Oh yes, Jungpana.

Until last June, I’d never even heard of the estate. And in less than seven months’ time, it has become one of my favorites. My first exposure to it occurred at World Tea Expo. Yes, yes, I know I keep talking about that damn event. How was I to know it would influence umpteen origin stories months later?! Stop complaining or I’ll…uh…Gurkha you. In the face. With water.

Anyway…my first exposure was at a tasting event on my second day of the Expo. Perennial Nice Guy – Rajiv Lochan of Lochan Tea – was in attendance, and he brought with him a first flush Darjeeling for the tasting. It was an OP from the Jungpana estate. I don’t recall any other details about it other than the fact that it made mine and Robert “The Devotea” Godden’s eyes glaze over in delight.

I wish I had more information beyond the crinkled, felt-writ foil bag still in my possession.

I have barely two servings left of the stuff, and – for the longest time – I thought those vestiges would be the last of that estate I’d experience all year. Boy, how wrong I was!

Among many other samples, I received – not one but two! – teas from said estate, courtesy of Norbu Tea Company. One was a second flush OP dubbed “Muscatel” (fitting), and the other was a uniquely pan-fired green simply called “Yellow”. Just what I needed, more yellow-named teas to confuse my palate.

Well, I’m glad they did.

The Jungpana Muscatel’s infusion yielded a pleasantly…well…muscatel and floral cup with a citrus feel on the back. Never thought I’d say it, but this is a Darjeeling second flush that begs to have a pre-wash to allow the leaves to open up. Thirty seconds, tops. For some reason, more exhilarating flavor notes emerged from that. Not sure how to properly convey it.

The Jungpana Yellow on the other hand…holy Gurkha guide water!

The liquor brewed bright green with a fruity aroma. What fruit, eh, I dunno – something mildly citrusy. On taste, I can’t describe how pleasant this was. The forefront was tropical, the middle possessed the wine-like characteristics of a Long Jing, and spice appeared on the trail-off. No grass, no spinach, none of those negative green tea traits. It was green tea perfection.

No wonder this sucker won an award.

(No, seriously, it won an award.)

After that dual tasting, I looked at the bags and said, “Okay, Jungpana, I get it. You’re awesome. You’ve made your point.”

Oh, but it wasn’t done with me, yet.

Last Sunday, I ventured out to Stash Tea’s new store and tea bar in North Portland with my brother and his wife.

We planned a trip, since none of us had been yet. It was a lot like their Tigard retail space, but with a slight Teavana-ish lean (minus the upselling). That and the employees were nice – like, really nice. Genuinely friendly tea people from a large chain, what a concept!

I also appreciated the layout of the store. Once someone entered, the bar was on the right, loose-leaf single origin teas were on the left, and the bagged teas were toward the back. As they should be.

Unfortunately, they only had a limited selection of canisters one could choose from for sampling at the bar. Most of the bar-ready teas on display were of the flavored variety. Not that I was surprised. It was Stash, after all. They catered to the general tea drinker, and that was decidedly not me.

Then I saw it. At the front of the black tea line – even ahead of the Earl Greys – was a giant tin with a label that made my jaw drop and my lips moisten: “Darjeeling Jungpana”.

I ordered a 12oz. glass of it immediately. So exclusive was this tea, that it wasn’t even available on their website. (Trust me, I looked.) It was…oh my omnomgharblemummerssss….

It wasn’t quite as perfect as the Jungpana Yellow…but still way up there.

As my brother and his wife looked around, I chose a spot by the window – gingerly sipping and watching traffic go by. Both of them joined soon after – my brother had ordered a Chai Latte, his bride cupped some Mangosteen Green. My younger sibling let me sip his masala chai, and I let him try mine.

“Whoo!” he exclaimed. “That’s primo!”

“I know!” I replied.

He feigned a pout. “I like that almost better than mine.”

And we wasted the late-afternoon, cupping away like gentleman hunters waiting for their Gurkha guide.

Shelter of the World, indeed.

How to Make a Perfect Cup of Tea

“A cup of tea, well made can help me get over my woes!”

-Alisan Modre a renowned television star once commented; and there are many who lives by this golden rule of beating down life’s worry with a perfect cup of tea. If you are a tea connoisseur and have a taste for vintage flavors picked from around the world then you got to know how to brew the perfect tea.

Brewing a good cup of tea is not rocket science true, rather it is an art. An art practiced and improved through 100 years of tea making. Infact if you go around the world you will be amazed by the number of tea ceremonies performed across the globe. Japan has the most celebrated tea rituals called chanoyu where families get together and exchange pleasantries over a cup of tea – therefore you see tea is more than a popular beverage.

If you want to tide over your drowsiness, want to get invigorated and do away with all negativities in life then learn to make a perfect cup of tea – a strong cup of tea is all you need to kick start your day!

• Buy some India or Ceylonese tea. You can either buy the flavoured leaves or original tea leaves without artificial aromas. If you are a health conscious person then go with green tea.

• Choosing the right teapot is also an important part of making tea. The best options available here are china or earthenware.

• Make tea in small quantities – maximum six persons at a time.

• Heat the teapot on a hob and then pour mild warm water into it. Let the warmth of the teapot heat the water inside.

• It’s a bad idea to boil the tea leaves over oven fire. Doing so might ruin the actual tea essence and render the drink as bland and sour.

• Stir the teapot and allow the tea to settle down at the bottom of the teapot.

• If using milk, then boil the milk beforehand and set aside. In the teapot add the milk and serve.

• Porcelain cups are the best options in which you can have your favourite drink. In China and Japan there are special saucers / bowls which are tea drinking utensils.

Tea drinking has a feel good factor about it, whether you are in a hurry or relaxing tea is always a much sought after companion even for the loners. So take up a good cup of tea and drink life to the lees.

Myths & Stories Related to Tea

Fascinating, delicious and definitely addictive! Tea, to many people, is one of the most interesting addictions in the world which has infact loads of benefits. Whether you come back hell tired from office or you are enjoying a match at home there is nothing more refreshing that you would expect than a cup of tea and hence there is no doubt that is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. According to popular belief Tea originated as a medical drink in China from the Shang dynasty and by the time it is the seventeenth century drinking tea has been hugely popularised in Britain. There has been a lot of research that goes into finding the right flavour and aroma of teas and the interest towards this beverage are all the more enhanced by the several myths and stories that had originated around this wonder drink.

The Mythical Story Of the Chinese Emperor

It was believed that around 5000 years ago, there was a Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung who was very popular because he could detect the properties of different herbs. According to legend, he was boiling his drinking water one day when due to a sudden light breeze some dried leaves from a nearby shrub fell into the cauldron in which the water was boiling. The leaves started reacting with the boiling water and gradually turned it brown. Shem Nung, out of curiosity tasted it and infact felt it was quite refreshing. He also urged others to try it. It was known that the shrubs from where the leaves blew were actually tea plants and the rest is history.

The Story of Bodhidharma- The Japanese Legend

The name of this Buddhist monk is usually associated with religious propaganda as he is credited for spreading Buddhism to China and Japan. But besides that there is a mythical story that has developed around him. According to this story, Boddhidharma had vowed to stare at a wall for a nine-year long meditation. But he felt extreme fatigue at the end of five years and as a result one day he fell asleep. He was disappointed at his failure and in anger towards himself he cut off his eyelids and threw them away on the ground. It is believed that the place where Bodhidharma’s eyelids fell on the ground; the first tea plant grew from there. He consumed the tea plant extract and committed to himself to finish the meditation this time. He did finish it successfully and from there developed the notion that tea has the power to eliminate sleep and exhaustion for long hours.

Other Popular Stories About Tea

It has been known that an agricultural god was eager to find out health solution and healing properties of all herbs and plants. He made himself the subject of his experiment and went about eating leaves of plants. If any of those plants had ill-effects or turned out to be poisonous, he used to drink tea to cure himself. This myth actually throws a light on the benefits of having tea.

The Story Of The Woodcutter

One day a woodcutter was chopping trees in the hills when some monkeys caught his attention. They were plucking and chewing the leaves of a tree. The woodcutter after a day’s work was hungry and he too grabbed some of the leaves. He quite liked the taste and took some samples back to his village. Gradually the villagers started adding them to their drinks and tea as a beverage was evolved.

The popularity of tea does not depend on these myths because through several lab tests and experiments the benefits of consuming tea has been well established through the ages. But reading from these exciting myths is very interesting for it only adds to the flavour and the addiction of having tea each day, every day!