Oolongs & Rhododendrons

Madan Tamang’s Twin Passions

Madan Tamang is the gentleman behind the family-run Meghma tea estate in Nepal. Our Honeybee oolong tea was grown there, which makes us doubly excited about sharing his story. Meghma is very close to Darjeeling, so we were able to catch up with Madan during a visit in October, 2006. As you’re about to find out, he’s very passionate about two things oolong tea and rhododendrons. Lucky for him, he’s found a way to incorporate both into his life’s work. We should all be so fortunate. Here’s a glimpse into Madan’s world.

Madan — thanks so much for speaking with us. Why don’t you start by telling us a little bit about yourself.

Madan Tamang at our Darjeeling home / Photo by The Simple Leaf ©

I come from a large family of 12 brothers and sisters. Our ancestral village is in Meghma, on the Indo-Nepal border. Our family has large tracts of land on both sides of the border. In the past, we used these areas for growing food crops and rearing livestock. This took care of our basic daily needs.

What brought you into the world of tea?

My grandfather had always wanted to grow tea but could not source the expertise and knowledge required to start. He also did not have the time as he was a very busy man. Basically, I am doing my best to fulfill his dream. I am also trying to make responsible and adequate use of our ancestral land holdings.

How did you get started? I would imagine that it is probably not that easy to start a tea estate.

I got my start back in 1994 when I simply planted a few saplings as an experiment. Well, things went very well and I now have about 85 acres under tea cultivation. I know this is a small amount of land, but my goals are not to be a big industrial tea estate. What I really want to do is to cover only about 120 acres. I want to produce very exclusive teas for a select, discerning clientele.

In my younger days, I had limited knowledge of tea but with the help of expert tea growers from Darjeeling, I was able to learn a lot. Being close to Darjeeling and in constant contact with some of the world’s best tea growers has helped give me my start into the world of tea.

Where exactly is Meghma located?

The wind-swept Mt. Kumbhakarna viewed from Tonglu, near the Meghma tea estate.

Meghma tea estate is located in Eastern Nepal, bordering the Darjeeling District of India. It’s so close to Darjeeling that I spend a lot of time in both places. In fact, our ancestral land, as I mentioned before, is on both sides of the border. So I am equally at home in both places.

The Indian sub-continent is not really known for it’s oolong teas. What made you decide on producing an oolong?

It’s largely a matter of economics. We didn’t have all the resources that the larger tea estates have. So the cost-structure of producing an oolong tea suited me very well. No factory or expensive equipment was required for this type of manufacture. Secondly, I was able to (by trial and error), eventually produce a fairly pleasing cup which my clients abroad found quite refreshing. Once I knew that I had produced a good tea, I decided to focus on oolongs.

The other aspect of my wanting to produce an oolong was because of its healthy properties. Recorded medical benefits are that this tea reduces cholesterol levels as well as high blood pressure whilst reducing the risk of arterial diseases as well. So it’s quite healthy of course. That’s an added benefit!

What makes an oolong an oolong?

Basically an oolong is a semi-oxidized tea, which means it is exposed to oxygen less than a typical black tea, but slightly more than a typical green tea. This is what distinguishes it from black or green teas. Green tea undergoes little to no oxidation, while black tea undergoes longer oxidation, or exposure to oxygen in the air. Sometimes people say that an oolong tea is in between black and green tea.

Is your tea really all hand rolled? Can you walk us through the process of making your oolong?

Yes, our tea is completely hand rolled. Our methods are actually very simple — after plucking the green leaf, it is manually hand rolled and then spread out on a table and covered with a moist cloth for the semi-fermentation process to begin. This can take up to 4 hours.

The leaves are then placed on large pans with handles and charcoal-fired for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on atmospheric conditions.

Next, we place the leaves on a table for cooling — we do this for up to 3 or 4 hours. Most of the moisture in the tea has gone by now. These unsorted, dried leaves are then passed through a series of meshes of varying sizes to separate the larger leaves from the smaller ones. In the tea industry, we call this process grading. Finally, we pack the tea into plywood chests or paper sacks for delivery to customers, and the production process is complete.

Some critics say that oolongs produced in the Indian sub-continent will never rival those from Taiwan or mainland China. What are your thoughts?

My response is simple. Of course Taiwan and China produce some wonderful oolongs. But I think it is important to note that we are not in competition with them. Incidentally, our production is more akin to the Taiwanese methods than the Chinese methods. But of course, there are some local adaptations as we do not have the same conditions as China or Taiwan. As far as quality, we think ours is a unique oolong that can stand on its own. What matters ultimately is that a few discerning people like my tea. That makes us very happy indeed.

On to a more serious topic. The welfare of tea workers is a big issue throughout the Indian sub-continent. How are you addressing this at Meghma?

Meghma Tea Bushes / Photo courtesy Madan Tamang ©

It is a sad fact that the Indian sub-continent has a long way to go before it addresses the economic plight of the poorer sections of society, no matter in what industry. That being said, we try to do our part to improve our worker’s lives in whatever small ways we can. For example, we pay our workers a daily wage that is higher than the industry norm in Nepal.

Ours is largely a philanthropic venture, so as we make profits, we re-invest the proceeds into a fund that rejuvenates the rhododendron forests and generates additional local employment. As profits increase, we plan on doing much more in terms of improving basic amenities like housing, water etc. Social welfare is a big part of our current and long term plans. As our project yields returns, it is my earnest wish to continue to improve the lot of the local population.

Since tea is a seasonal crop, we try to look after our workers in the off-season as well. That is why, during the lean months, our workers produce and sell a hand-made paper from the bark of the Daphne bholua plant. The bark of this plant is pulped in water and then spread out and dried to produce an eco-friendly paper. In fact, we use this paper in some of our packaging. This provides some much-needed income to the workers to help weather the slower times of the year.

You're also very passionate about Rhododendron forests. Why is this so important to you and how does it impact the people of Meghma?

In addition to tea, Rhododendrons are also a serious passion for me. This is mostly because as a child, I have fond memories of growing up surrounded by beautiful Rhododendron forests. Unfortunately, scarcity of fuel resulted in the denuding of these forests by villagers. Sadly, people were forced to chop the trees down for firewood just to fulfill basic heating needs.

Having witnessed the destruction of these forests, it is my dream to help rejuvenate these areas by planting as many Rhododendron saplings as possible. So far in 2006, I have planted 227,000 saplings. My vision is to create a 200 acre forest with proper fencing. This will not only help the eco-system’s health, but it will also have the addded benefit of generating plenty of local employment. It is a 10 year project and an ongoing labor of love for me. I feel that the Rhododendron replanting initiative is one of the best ways that we can help the regional eco-system and its people. As I mentioned before, we channel the proceeds of the sales of our tea into a fund that is used to rejuvenate these forests.

What does the future hold in store for the Nepalese tea industry?

The tea industry in Nepal is in dire straits today. I hope that being in the neighborhood of the Darjeeling district, which has similar climatic conditions, will help promote our teas to a sustainable level. We have been practicing organic farming on our estate for some time now, and I think our practices illustrate a sustainable future for the Nepalese tea industry.

Thanks for speaking with us Madan. It’s been very enlightening to learn about the Meghma project.

It has been a pleasure. It is extremely encouraging to see that teas from our region find mention in the west. I do hope that The Simple Leaf meets with all success and I wish you the very best. I will be forwarding you samples of our produce from time to time, to enable you to keep your customers abreast of our efforts to improve quality to the best of our ability.