During our 2017 travels we sipped our way through south India's tea region and Sri Lanka's fabled tea highlands. But these regions are just a small part of south Asia's tea industry. Throughout our journey, northeast India's distant powerhouse tea regions of Darjeeling and Assam kept calling us. Our discovery there had to wait until another visit.

So this year, our Heart-to-Heart tour began September in Darjeeling, North Bengal near the end of the regions persistent monsoon. So charming. With sweeping Himalayan vistas. Surrounded by lush tea plantations!

In Darjeeling, we met Rajiv Mitra a dynamic local tea merchant. Darjeeling produces the oft-described champagne of teas. Rajiv purveys only single-estate, premium teas at teaemporium.net. We became good friends. Listen to our informative and lively conversation below.