A tea estate walk at Chalsa

Dooars tea is mostly CTC, the strong, granular tea that goes into Indian milk chai, rather than the orthodox leaf of Darjeeling. The bushes grow on the plains and gentle slopes, shaded by tall trees such as albizia, and are plucked every week or two through the season from about March to November. Pluckers, mostly women, carry baskets on their backs and pick 'two leaves and a bud'.

Walk the estate roads early, when the light is soft and the workers are starting. Greet people, but do not interrupt their work or photograph them without asking; they are paid by weight and their time matters. Your guide can explain shade trees, pruning cycles, and the difference between CTC and orthodox processing. Some gardens allow factory visits in season with permission from the manager.

This is also a chance to understand the people of the gardens. Many are descendants of workers brought from the Chota Nagpur plateau in the late nineteenth century, and they speak Sadri, celebrate Karam, and have their own history of labour struggles. Treat the garden lines as people's homes, not a photo stop.