The beginning
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| Assam Tea Gardens |
The tea story in India goes back to the 19th century when Robert Bruce chanced upon tea plants growing wild in Assam. Further, it was in the year 1839 when the first 8 chests of Indian tea made its way to London auction. The state thus became the birthplace of Indian tea.
The roots of tea tourism in India can be traced back to the British era. Today, India is one of the largest producers of tea and the proud home to some of the finest teas around the world. From the world’s most expensive white tea to the tea we drink daily, producing teas is a long process and involves tremendous hard work. It is always fascinating to visit the hubs of tea production around the country. While the verdant countryside of the tea plantations are a brilliant sight to behold, the process of tea production right from picking the leaves to packaging the final stuff in the sacks, is interesting and worth seeing.
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| Tea production in Assam |
Tea tourism in India is a word which is catching up fast in the tourism circuit. Today, India boasts of three major regions - Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiris - that produce some of the finest teas in the world. With discerning travellers constantly looking for different travel ideas, tea tourism in India is gaining popularity.
Chef Bakshish Dean, director, food production of Cha Bar, one of the tea cafes across India says, “Tea drinking has been an important Indian tradition. It is an intrinsic part of our life and culture. It is this drink that has been enjoyed by generations as the perfect drink to relax with. Tea was introduced in the nineteenth century by the British. Since then, the way of consumption of tea has remained unchanged. The most preferred of all teas is the black tea which is brewed with water, milk and sugar. Spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and ginger are added to the tea to give it a zing. These spice combinations are used in varied forms all across the country. The highway dhabas are a great place to sample the classic Indian masala chai”.
Exploring the Unexplored
Darjeeling
Beautifully nestled in the foothills of the snow covered Himalayas, Darjeeling, a district in West Bengal, is one of the biggest tea producing hubs of India. It is located at an altitude that ranges from 600 to 2000 metres. Tea estates in Darjeeling are spread over 20000 hectares. Sheltered by the Kanchenjunga peak, these estates produce tea that is unequalled anywhere in the world. Darjeeling also houses Makaibari tea estate established in 1859, the oldest in India.
Aided by Darjeelings cool, moist climate and sloping terrain, the tea estates here produce a fine and delicately flavoured tea which is famously referred to as the Champagne of teas. Good things come in small packages, so it is not surprising to note that this tea accounts for only about 3 per cent of the India’s total tea production.
Darjeeling boasts of many beautiful and sprawling tea estates. However, the first name that also
has a tea nursery. Other tea estates in Darjeeling include the Makaibari Tea Estate, Happy Valley Tea Estate and the Puttabong Tea Estate.
Those on a tea tour to Darjeeling can visit other tea estates like Margaret’s Hope, Singbulli, Longview, Sungma and Castleton.
Some of the tea estates in Darjeeling also offer excellent accommodation facilities. Some of the best examples are the Glenburn Tea Estate and the Makaibari Tea Estate. So what are you waiting for? Plan a tour of tea estates in Darjeeling for a fascinating experience which you will remember for life.
Assam
With its lofty hills, rolling plains, gushing rivers and breathtaking beauty, Assam is truly a nature lover’s delight. This mesmerising land of blue hills is mainly famous for two things - the one horned rhino and tea.
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| Tea Production in Assam |
As one of the major tea producing regions in the world, Assam is home to numerous tea estates that produce more than 360 million kg of tea annually. Beautifully pruned tea bushes spread like green carpets cover about 2,16,200 hectares of land in Assam.
It is not surprising to note that presently, there are more than 100 tea estates in Assam. The cropping season starts in March and extends till around mid December. The plucking season starts in March and goes on for around two months. The tea produced at this time has a fragrant, fresh, flowery and spicy character. The second plucking season starts from June. The tea produced during this period has a full, spicy, malty character and a rich coppery red to deep brown colour. It is considered to be richer than the tea produced from the first harvest
Plucking at the tea estates in Assam is more productive from July to October, when the powerful monsoon rains from the Indian Ocean fall on the fertile ground. Some of the most prominent tea estates in Assam are the Williamson Tea Estates and those owned by the Tata Group of Companies. Other notable tea estates in Assam are the Amguri, Ginjia, Gogaidubi, Talap and Ananda tea estates.
Nilgiri
A tea tour to South India will take you to the Nilgiris, a picturesque range of hilly ‘landscapes. It is here that you will find tea gardens at elevations ranging from 1000 metres to 2500 metres. Some of the best tea gardens in South India can be found in Ooty in Tamil Nadu and Munnar in Kerala.
The tea estates in Nilgiri produce tea that is mild in taste with mellow and clean liquor. Moreover, tea is grown all year round in the Nilgiri region, unlike other regions where it is seasonal. The Nilgiris soils are red and yellow loam. Most tea plantations here get two monsoons owing to which the tea bushes in South India, ‘flush’ all the year round resulting cropping season throughout the year.
Further, the tea produced in tea estates of Nilgiri also give a fine and pronounced flavour. This flavour of the tea, derived from the high elevation, remains same throughout the year in varying degrees. Considered as blender’s dream, Nilgiri teas give the liquor body and strength as well.
During a tour of the tea producing areas in the Nilgiri region, the best places to visit are the Kodanad Estate, Lockhart Tea Estate, Highfield Tea Factory, Glendale Tea Estate and Vigneshwar Estate Tea Factory. The tranquil ambience, soothing greenery and salubrious climate - everything about the Nilgiri region, spells magic.
