Editor’s Note: At the 2022 World Tea Conference + Expo, Mosi won a World Tea Best of Award – in the category of “Best Tea-Making Equipment Innovation, Consumer” – for its patented infuser. Shortly after the event in Las Vegas, Founder and CEO Paul Davis and Co-Founder and COO Gavin Jocius headed to India on a sourcing trip for their tea line. Here’s a first-hand diary account of their trip, as detailed by Jocius.
March 31 – April 2, 2022: Travel
Our journey began with 19 hours of combined air travel across nine time zones. The route took us from Raleigh, N.C. to Boston, Mass. then to Doha, Qatar, arriving at our destination of Kolkata, India at 2:30 a.m. local time. The purpose of our trip was to bond with our tea supplier, tour their tea estates, meet the factory and garden workers, and taste as much fresh tea as possible. The trip did not disappoint.
April 2, 2022: Kolkata, the City of Joy
Kolkata is a fast-paced and vibrant city. It’s loud like Manhattan, as humid as a Tokyo summer, and has gritty urban chaos all its own. The overwhelming turmoil of rickshaws and panhandlers was quickly subdued with tea and snacks at our tea partner’s headquarters. We got to enjoy an old tradition of free lunch and snacks on the tenth-floor penthouse, restricted to company officers and their guests.
Making our way down a few flights of stairs to the tea-tasting room, we were immediately welcomed by the sweet fragrance of blending spices. A spectrum of more than 40 different tea blends had been carefully prepared for us. After a brief tutorial on proper tasting techniques, we sampled each tea making note of color, smell, and taste.
We capped off our first day by enjoying street food and drinks outside the gates of the Victoria Memorial, one of the largest and most famous attractions in Kolkata. A vendor skillfully made us masala lime and seltzer iced teas served in bhar cups. With clay sourced from the Ganges River, Bengali potters stubbornly preserve their centuries-old traditions, selling bhar clay cups to tea vendors around Kolkata. Enjoying tea from these modest cultural artifacts while soaking in the audacious pomp of colonial architecture was one of the many contrasts we would experience on this trip. Such subtle – and sometimes overt – visual cues serve as reminders of the complex history of the Crown’s past rule in India.
April 3, 2022: Kolkata, the City of Joy, Day Two
Our second day began with a few cups of street chai prepared at the tiny Kona Dukan tea stall located in front of the Kolkata stock exchange. This sweet and creamy black tea is spiced with cardamom and ginger is served in bhar clay cups. Makeshift seating was arranged between parked cars and hanging laundry. Stray dogs cautiously approached searching for unfinished snacks, while the engine of a Mercedes S-Class idled as patrons waited for their chai to be delivered in air-conditioned comfort. A perfectly prepared cup of tea appeared to transcend class divides, if only for a fleeting moment.
At dusk, we learn to play croquet before having what was billed as a “sumptuous Indian feast” at our host’s family mansion. The multiple course meal lived up to the anticipation, while the conversations on geo-politics and international trade with the Patriarch of a global commodity empire forced us to pace our gin and tonics so as not to embarrass ourselves.
April 4, 2022: Assam Tea Gardens
After a short 1.5-hour flight from Kolkata, we arrived at Dibrugarh in upper Assam. Heavy rain added to the already treacherous road conditions. Our hired driver navigated with a confident reckless abandon that signaled “don’t f@#K with me” during the many games of chicken played with on-coming traffic. Vehicular Russian roulette kept us on edge, but we were soon hypnotized by furrowed lines of manicured tea bushes flying by at high speeds which put us at relative ease.
We were welcomed at our destination with an indigenous folk dance known as the Bihu which is an important part of Assamese culture. Traditionally, local farming communities performed the dance which signifies nature’s fertility, celebrating spring and seasonal rains. Assam is blessed with the five key factors that tea bushes need to survive and yield quality leaf, namely climate, weather, soil, water and minerals. Tea bushes love water, so it is little wonder such traditional dances took root there.
April 5, 2022: Assam Tea Gardens, Day Two
Our day began with freshly brewed tea served to us as we sat under a covered porch listening to the rain gently nourishing the manicured grounds of Margarita tea estate’s hill house. Situated high above a river and flanked by tea gardens and distant mountains, this rampart was clearly built to house nobility, tea barons, and high-ranking members of the British Monarchy. Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, famously visited the hill house in 1904.
On this day, we toured two different estates that both focus on processing Assam CTC black tea. We got to see the entire process from leaf to cup. Optimal “two leaf and a bud” hand-plucking techniques, withering, rolling, drying, tasting … the precision and care that goes into each step of harvesting and manufacturing such high-quality teas cannot be understated.
April 6, 2022: Assam Tea Gardens, Day Three
Our day began with a tour of perhaps our favorite factory. The plant manager had over “40 years of loyal service” having worked his way up the ranks. His understanding of antioxidant polyphenols, humidity control, and drying at the precise moment to stop the oxidation process was inspiring. He had a wonderful enthusiasm for teaching us both the science and subtle arts of tea making.
Our day was capped off with nine-holes of golf on a course built next to the tea gardens. This was a great opportunity to bond with our hosts and the different factory managers we had met throughout our trip.
April 7, 2022: Assam Tea Gardens, Day Four
At dawn, I went for a run through the tea gardens. This was one of my favorite activities of the entire trip. It granted me an unadulterated look at how garden workers live and act when not under the watchful gaze of a guided field tour. We had been told about India’s Plantation Labour Act of 1951 by our hosts, and jogging through multiple small garden villages gave witness to the legislature’s lasting impacts. Running water, shelter, healthcare and recreational facilities are all provided to employees. The equivalent of government-subsidized social welfare programs are provided to workers, but not from tax revenue; rather, the burden is borne by tea estate shareholders. A contentious topic for Indian executives in the competitive world of international agricultural commodities, the act greatly favors workers – a large voting majority no doubt.
Perhaps it was the combination of fresh air and endorphins from the run, but I felt a deep sense of peace. Time seems to stand still when you are surrounded by 70-year-old tea bushes plucked to leveled perfection with a precision and artful skill passed down through generations. It was at that moment that I was incredibly proud of our decision to come to India and seek out the best teas on earth.
April 8, 2022: A Long Journey Home
After a flight from Assam back to Kolkata, we boarded a red-eye to Doha at 3:45 a.m. followed by a 12-hour flight to Dallas then Raleigh, North Carolina. We would like to thank everyone involved for the incredible hospitality, warmth, and support while on this journey. We got to see and experience the very best of Indian culture, cuisine and people. It was a truly magical experience that we are incredibly grateful for. We are now more motivated than ever to share the rich culture and flavors of India with North America.
Gavin Jocius is an eCommerce entrepreneur who has grown, sold and bought multiple online businesses. He is the co-founder and COO at Mosi, and he is on a mission to help people with active lifestyles discover and enjoy amazing teas. To learn more about Mosi, visit MosiTea.com.
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World Tea Conference + Expo, March 27-29, 2023
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