Maybe you've seen THE DARJEELING LIMITED (or plan to, for that matter) but, like me, don't know much about Darjeeling, India itself -- or even the tea it's famous for. Well: perfect timing! This past Sunday The New York Times published travel columnist Matt Gross's description of his fascinating journey to Darjeeling, India and in particular to three of its regal tea "estates." (WARNING: The article might just convince you to plan a trip abroad while you're at it...)

I've included three excerpts below, plus a link to the essay in its entirety on The New York Times' Web site. Don't miss the slideshow either. Not to mention their recommendations for how to plan a trip there...

"Darjeeling is so synonymous with high-quality black tea that few non-connoisseurs realize it's not one beverage but many: 87 tea estates operate in the Darjeeling district, a region that sprawls across several towns (including its namesake) in a mountainous corner of India that sticks up between Nepal and Bhutan, with Tibet not far to the north."

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"As with wine, tasting tea is no simple process of gulping and grading. [Makaibari estate founder] Mr. Banerjee first inspected the infused leaves for color and nose, and only then sipped from each bowl, inhaling sharply to oxidate the liquid and release its flavors, and sloshing it loudly around his mouth before spitting it into a nearby tub. Then, with hardly a moment's hesitation, he'd move on to the next bowl, and the next, and the next."

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"If Makaibari had been wild and Glenburn a fantasyland, then Muscatel Valley was positively prehistoric, with massive stone outcroppings amid lonely fields of tea bushes stretching into the Jurassic distance. Sunlit mist shrouded the far mountains, and all traces of civilization vanished. There was nothing but me and the tea."

To read the complete article, watch a colorful slideshow and get tips on how to get to and around Darjeeling on your own, click here.

And for a more academic description of this region of India, click here to visit Darjeeling's Wikipedia entry.

Fox Searchlight's THE DARJEELING LIMITED is now in select theatres. Click here to visit its official Web page.