Darjeeling, Assam, and Nilgiri are the big 3 Indian tea regions people talk about, but there are also so many others to explore. Is your favorite on the list?

DARJEELING

Darjeeling is arguably the most famous tea region in India. Tea was first planted in this region in the 1800s by British colonizers. The first tea plants to grow here came from Robert Fortune’s travels to China. If you’d like to learn more about that, I recommend All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose. There are currently 87 gardens within the area defined by the geographic indication. The climate here is relatively cooler as the teas from this region are grown at a high elevation. They are known for their muscatel aroma, particularly the 2nd flush.

ASSAM

Assam is a lowland Indian tea region with a hot and humid rainy season. The Chinese plants that thrived in Darjeeling did not do well in this climate. Rober Bruce is often credited with discovering native tea plants growing in Assam. It had been used by the Singpho for centuries before that encounter. Their traditional preparation involves smoking the tea and then packing it into bamboo tubes. The teas from this region are known for being bold and malty. They are frequently used in breakfast-style blends for this reason. There are approximately 800 tea estates in Assam.

NILGIRI

Nilgiri is another high-elevation tea region. Its name means ‘blue mountain’. Commercial tea growing was started in 1845. After Indian independence, the Nilgiris focused more on low-quality CTC tea. There are several hundred tea estates in this region as well as thousands of smallholders who sell their harvests to bought leaf factories. Nilgiri tea is balanced and brisk but not quite as bold as Assam. High-quality orthodox teas from here have a citrus note that I enjoy.

For more information check out the site below.

From https://www.teaformeplease.com/7-indian-tea-regions-you-should-know/