Tea was introduced to India by the British in the nineteenth century, to overcome the monopoly of Chinese production. The early days of the Indian tea industry saw rapid development and conflict. From the 1830s on, Europeans, Assamese, and Indian industrialists worked to establish tea plantations.
The three main Indian tea regions are Assam, Darjeeling, and Nilgiri. The tea grown and produced in India varies as significantly as its population and its geography.
The geography of India allows for many different climatic conditions, and the resulting teas can be dramatically distinctive from each other. In general, the black teas of India are known to be strong, bright, and some have rather delicate flavors.
Most of the estates are located in Upper Assam and Southern Barak Valley. Jorhat is known as the Tea Capital of the World and this small city has been the main center of tea cultivation in the state. Assam is known for its dark tea with a robust flavor, often described as malty. Assam’s gorgeous acres of tea estates largely produce the CTC variety of tea – CTC stands for crush, tear and curl and refers to the way black tea is processed.
Tea cultivation in India
