At 1,600 m in Ilam, our bushes wake up four times a year. Each flush tastes of its season: spring's first light, summer's muscatel, the monsoon's rain and autumn's warmth.
Two leaves and a bud, picked in the cool of the morning. A skilled plucker gathers about 7 kg a day, which makes roughly 1.6 kg of finished tea.
The leaf is withered for 14 hours, rolled, oxidised by eye and smell, then dried. Nothing waits overnight.
Kanyam Heights is a co-operative of 63 smallholder families. Profits go to the families first, then to the school.