“The Darjeeling Distinction” Sarah Besky (2014) Review | Dark side of the posh tea

★★★★☆ Darjeeling is the most expensive tea in the world, most well marketed and iconic – how is it that the workers remain so poor? A cup of Darjeeling costs more than a plucker’s daily wage, but not known because it’s always linked to luxury.

🔽 log 🔽
The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India (California Studies in Food and Culture Book 47)
Sarah Besky, 2014
258 pages
Read in 2022.11


🔽 Book review and notes 🔽

Exactly the topic I was interested in about the Darjeeling tea, its industry and its workers.

Darjeeling tea is the most expensive tea in the world, most well marketed and iconic - how is it that the workers remain so poor?
Uncomfortably, a cup of Darjeeling costs a lot more than a plucker's daily wage, but not known enough because the tea is always linked to luxury.

Darjeeling and Sikkim area not like the rest of India, indeed the majority of the people are ethnically Nepali. 
India would do anything to keep Darjeeling tea Indian, it's the most iconic single product and one of the most famous from India.
Gorkhas don't own anything, not even their history. 
Speaking of Fair Trade, since it's been forced on the locals, ironically, their lives became harder.

So iconic yet so exploited. 

🔽 Where to buy / Summary and more info 🔽

●●● Amazon.com (US) ●●●

The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India

●●● Amazon.co.uk (UK) ●●●
The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India (California Studies in Food and Culture Book 47)

●●● Amazon.it (Italy) ●●●
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