Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Tea Plantation (Premium)

Episode Date: February 4, 2020

This is a preview episode. Get the full episode, and many more, ad free, on our supporter's feed: https://getsleepy.com/support. The Tea Plantation  Narrated by Simon Mattacks. Wander through a remote and relaxing tea plantation.     About Get Sleepy Premium: Help support the podcast, and get: Monday and Wednesday night episodes (with zero ads) The exclusive Thursday night bonus episode Access to the entire back catalog (also ad-free) Premium sleep meditations, extra-long episodes and more! We'll love you forever. ❤️ Get a 7 day free trial, and join the Get Sleepy community here https://getsleepy.com/support. And thank you so, so much.  Tom, and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link below to learn more and thank you so so much. Me and the team really appreciate your support. You're standing at the foot of a hill, covered in lush green plants. It's a tea plantation, one of many in this region, where tea is cultivated throughout the year. It's morning. The pale sunlight enhances the green surroundings. So many shades of green varying from dark to light,

but all with a particular vibrance. Green is often associated with nature, renewal, energy and harmony. Here, it represents all of these, while at the same time being the main color contrasting against the blue sky. If you look at the big picture, the tea plants are in neatly arranged rows, and these rows merge together in a uniform carpet.

The surrounding hills are covered by this carpet, growing with the help of the sun, and now painted with a splash of morning dew. If you zoom in, it's impossible to imagine just how many tender leaves are on even a single plant, much less in a single row. Each leaf is a bit different than the next. Each plant a bit different than the next. And each row a bit different than the next. Yet, looking at the plantation as a whole, it appears uniform. You notice a subtle aroma permeating the air.

You breathe it in slowly, enjoying its light sweetness. It's different than the warm vapors of the soothing beverage we are so accustomed to. But it perfectly highlights that this is the place where relaxation comes from. Taking a few steps to your left, you find the nearest shrub. It comes up to your waist which makes tea plucking easier. You inspect the plant, touch its fragile leaves, and smell it up close, noticing where its wonderful flavor comes from. Upon further examination, the older leaves, towards the bottom of the plant, shine in a deep, emerald shade.

While the new ones, still growing, are much lighter. You touch their glossy surface and discover that the young leaves have short white hairs on the underside. They feel like velvet. While all tea leaves have noble qualities, age is very important. Mature leaves ensure the life of the plant. Fresh, young ones are preferred for processing. Harvesting needs to occur every one or two weeks. Considering the seemingly endless rows of plants here, you appreciate the amount of work that must go into this harvest.

This particular tea plantation is one of the most elevated in the world. Besides the amazing scenery and panoramic views offered here, altitude is believed to enhance tea flavor. Perhaps it's the fresh mountain air or the closeness to the sun, but these fields are known for producing tea of the highest quality. Taking in the awe-inspiring views of the valley, you notice a path starting in the sleepy village below and traversing up the hills.

From it, dozens of narrow lanes cut right through the plantation. These paths are used by tea pickers, who collectively care for each individual shrub. You can't help but admire the people cultivating this versatile plant. The same plant can produce multiple varieties and flavors. This very plantation is the birthplace of black tea, with its bold and bitter taste, as well as fresh green tea with a milder flavor.

And the young velvety leaves you found so mesmerizing, are used for making white tea. The sun is now high in the sky, shining over the rolling green hills. Scattered throughout the hills are tea pickers, combing through the rows of plants and collecting leaves. They carry large baskets, secured to their bodies with thick straps.

Like dedicated worker bees, they gently pluck the leaves and drop them by the handful into their baskets. Today, they are harvesting the young leaves for white tea. Despite their busyness, all the tea pickers stop and wave at you. Friendly, happy and proud to share their home grounds, where tea is much more than the appreciated beverage. you