A cup of tea represents the ultimate welcome. Kettles are as if connected to front doorbells. For arrivals a warm greeting.
Departures can hold the same comfort. Kangra Valley Tea accompanies me when I take to the road for any journey of significance. My fuel.
If a three-finger pinch is brewed for the recommended two or so minutes, brownish-black leaves produce an amber-coloured, aromatic flavour that is crisp with a sweet (almost muscated) after-taste. Some cold water blends with that which was boiled. The tea strainer is redundant. Residue gathers naturally at the bottom of your vessel and will yield three cups if reused.
Why tea from this “valley of the gods” in the Western Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh? Minerals in the soil from a river running through means “a honey roasted flavour” according to Ratan Mondal, founding father of Tea2you at Borough Market.
Perhaps the main reason he calls this “driver’s tea”, over and above low caffeine levels, is that the brew never becomes bitter. Which you shouldn’t be on reaching your destination.
In 1905, an earthquake ravaged this region killing 20,000. Flash floods are a perennial concern. Nature’s potential in this part of the world to devastate is again especially pertinent in 2026. May all your journeys - both travels and through life - be safe ones.
Before accepting the honour of being Tea2You’s writer in residence there were arduous negotiations. These mainly centred on whether milk was an acceptable enhancement to what purists like Ratan (likewise Rusha) maintain should be an undiluted pleasure. A compromise was ultimately reached. Namely a modest amount, if semi skimmed, is permitted. Of course, for every rule there are exceptions. This is one. Don’t even think about sugar, either.
With thanks to Kiril Vitanov for a perfect vessel for this tea. When master mixer at Christ's College Cambridge (his cocktails endure) as well as head butler there in all but name, he encouraged alumni to photograph these cups wherever their owners ventured. Add London’s A406 North Circular to the list of perhaps more captivating locations.
