Tea regions of India

India has a rich history of tea cultivation and consumption; it happens to be one of the largest producers and consumers of tea worldwide. There are a number of tea growing regions spread all over the country, some of which are world famous.

Here are the popular and some lesser known tea regions of India:-

Darjeeling

Darjeeling Tea

The most famous tea growing region in India, the Darjeeling region tea is popular world over for its wonderful aroma and mild flavor. The Darjeeling district is located is the eastern part of India, in the state of West in the lesser Himalayan range, at an average elevation of 6700 feet.  The ‘Darjeeling tea’ has been patented by the Tea board of India and cannot be grown and manufactured elsewhere in the world. Due to its popularity world over, Darjeeling receives many travelers from India & abroad and it is one of the most popular destination for tea tourism in India.

Assam

Assam Tea

The north eastern state of Assam in India is  the largest tea growing region in the world. The Assam variety tea is a black tea known for its brisk body, dark color and strong flavor. The black tea of assam is blended with other teas and sold as breakfast teas (English breakfast tea, Irish breakfast tea and Scottish breakfast tea are some of the commercial names). The tea is grown in the lowlands of Assam, in the rich alluvial soil of Brahmaputra River valley. There are a number of tea estates which not only cultivate the tea but also host tea lovers & travelers.

Nilgiris

Nilgiris Tea

The nilgiris mountain range in the south India, spreading across the two states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala are home to the nilgiri tea.  The Nilgiris tea is mainly defined as the tea cultivated and produced in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu state. The nilgiri tea is dark and has a strong aroma. There are many blends of tea coming out of the Nilgiris, however, the Orange Pekoe is the most famous tea blend, which has a high demand world over.

Dooars

Sprawling Dooars Tea Garden

The lesser known dooars tea region lies in the foothills of the Himalayas in between north eastern Indian and Bhutan.  It is one of the oldest tea cultivating regions in India and the economy of this region solely rests on two things -   tea and timber.  The tea produced here is similar to the Darjeeling variety of tea.

Kangra

Kangra Tea

The Kangra tea region lies in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, at an average altitude of 4000 m above sea level. The Kangra tea is world famous for its rich aroma and mild flavor.  There are a number of tea estates in the Kangra region, which offer tea lovers an opportunity to experience firsthand, cultivation and production of tea.

Munnar

Munnar Tea Hills

The Munnar district alls in the Nilgiris hill range, however, the tea from this region  in known both as Munnar & nilgiris tea, depending on the variety produced(black or CTC). The Munnar tea region falls in the Kerala state and it is very popular destination for travelers due to this lush rolling hills and number dams & lakes.

Sikkim

Sikkim Tea

The government of Sikkim, established Temi tea garden in the 1960s and it is the only tea garden in this tiny Himalayn state of India. The tea cultivated and produced here is one of the best on the world and is mostly exported abroad (under the brand name temi tea). In fact, the tea produced here has earned the highest bids for tea ever, when auctioned at the Kolkata tea auction centre (which sets international tea trading rates for whole of India).

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