Tag Archives: India

Teas of Nilgiri, India

Map of India with Nilgiri Tea Region highlighted.

Nilgiri Tea Producing Region of India (Highlighted) based on India Map by Umesh NiRai, CC BY 2.5

The best known tea regions in India are certainly Assam and Darjeeling in the northeast of the country. However, these are certainly not the only tea growing regions. The next well known region for tea production in India is the Nilgiri Hills region of southeast India. Nilgiri teas feature a strong, bold, taste which makes them ideal for blending with other teas.

In the Nilgiri growing region, most manufacturing facilities are located within the grounds of the tea plantations meaning the fresh leaves don’t have to travel very far before processing. This helps ensure high quality, fresh tea, due to the quick processing and manufacturing.

Nilgiri Tea History

Tea has been grown in the Nilgiri region for centuries with some estimates going back as far as 800 years when the Nilgiri Hills were seized by Hoysala King Vishnu Vardhana. More recently the East India Company held the land for tea production beginning in 1799 and lasting through to 1947 when the region won independence from Britain. Today the regions plantations and growers are represented by the Nilgiri Planters’ Association covering the areas of Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Kundah (The Nilgiri Panters’ Association, 2014).

Nilgiri Tahr by Anish live, CC-BY-SA-3.0

Unique Nilgiri Region

The Niligiri Geographical Indication (GI) region is part of the Ghat mountain range and is home to the Nilgiri Tahr, or ibex, an endangered sheep of the region. The mountains feature heights up to 6500 ft above sea level. Like the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia, which are also called the Blue Ridge Mountains because of the bluish tint they have from a distance, the name Nilgiri means Blue Mountains, and is named for the blue haze that often settles over the range. Unlike some other tea regions of the world, the Nilgiri region receives regular amounts of rain throughout the year allowing nearly year round tea production.

Nilgiri Tea Production and Use

Nilgiri Tea produced by estates in the Nilgiri region include both CTC and Orthodox teas for markets around the world including Russia and the Middle East but also Europe and the United States. Like teas from Argentina, Nilgiri tea tends to be quite clear when iced, a trait which makes these teas a popular base for iced tea blends. These teas also are considered to be very fragrant with a brisk yet creamy mouth feel and full body. While tea is produced year round in the Nilgiri Hills, it is the frost tea, produced from December through February which is one of the more notable, due to the slow growth of the leaves, concentrating the aromatic compounds in the leaves. While black tea is the primary product of the region it also produces some green and white teas.

Nilgiri Tea – Dry Leaf and Liquor

Like many other teas from India and Kenya, Nilgiri tea forms the base for a broad swath of flavored and blended teas. However, it is an excellent tea in its own right which is why it was one of the teas we selected for Dominion Tea and experimented with in making home-made ice cream. Enjoy!

The Tea of Assam, India

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Assam tea plantation worker carrying a basket supported from her head.

Assam Tea Plantation Worker, by Flickr User Akarsh Simha, CC BY-SA-2.0

Teas from the three main growing regions of India, Nilgiri, Darjeeling, and Assam, have become highly regarded over the years, forming the base to many popular teas including English and Irish Breakfast teas as well as great stand-alone specialty teas. Known for its black tea, the Assam region produces tea with a distinct malty taste, known for its briskness (which by the way is another way of simply saying that its taste makes you sit up and take note vs having a flat, dull, or otherwise non-memorable taste). Tea is produced in this region comes from some 600+ tea gardens and is manufactured both as CTC (crush, tear, curl) as well as orthodox or specialty tea. The sheer volume of tea produced in Assam contributes substantially to making India the second largest producer of tea after China. While known almost exclusively for its black teas, it should be noted that the Assam region of India also produces some green and white orthodox teas.

Assam Tea and West Bengal (Darjeeling Tea) India along with its neighbors.

Map of India with Assam Tea and West Bengal (home of Darjeeling) Tea Growing Regions

Assam Tea History

The history of tea in India likely dates back thousands of years, as it does for its neighbors in Nepal and China. However, most agree that commercial development of tea in Assam began with the British in the 1830’s when Britain, and in particular the East India Company, which wanted to find cheaper alternatives to Chinese tea, started looking for tea and suitable growing conditions in other corners of the empire. Since it appeared the climate was similar to that of tea growing regions in China, the British imported seeds and plants of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, the variety found in China. This, unfortunately for the East India Company, turned out to be a failure, as the variety wouldn’t grow successfully in India. Around the same time, beginning in 1815, Major Robert Bruce discovered a plant in Assam that he thought was likely the tea plant growing in the wild. It wasn’t until nearly 30 years later, in 1834 that his brother Charles Alexander Bruce successfully got testing and recognition that the plant was indeed tea. As it turns out it was simply another variation of C. sinensis, the assamica variety. Much more recently, using DNA sequencing techniques, research is suggesting that C. sinensis var. assamica (Assam), along with C. sinensis var. sinensis (China) and many other varieties, are in fact all related to a single parent from Mongolia, which migrated over time to give us the varieties we see today.

Assam Tea Garden, by Flickr User Bidyut Gogoi, CC-BY-2.0

Terrior of Assam Tea

It is the terrior found in Assam, combined with the C. sinensis var. assamica variety, which produces the significantly different taste that has become so highly regarded. The leaves are larger in Assam and the nutrients in the soil lead to different taste and flavor compounds in the leaves. Whereas in China tea is often grown at higher elevations, in Assam it is grown at low elevations along floodplains with sandy, nutrient rich soils which are typical of floodplains. Also unlike tea grown in other parts of the world, it is the second flush, not the first, which is preferred. The second flush is considered to produce a sweeter liquor with a more robust full bodied taste.

Given the proximity to other great tea production regions like Darjeeling, Nepal, and China, along with the historical thirst for tea driven by colonialism, it is really little wonder that Assam has developed to play a major role in the global tea trade. We are looking forward to further exploration of Assam and the specialty teas to be found from this great region.

A Toast to Protecting Darjeeling Tea

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Darjeeling Tea is grown in the Darjeeling regin of India

Darjeeling tea is grown in the Northeast of India surrounded by Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh (Public Domain)

Darjeeling was the first tea in India to be protected under Geographic Identification (GI), which didn’t happen until 2011. This protection allows India the right to force other governments to protect the Darjeeling name and product within their borders, which is quite difficult without the GI. It is estimated that just before awarding the GI, there was almost 3 times more Darjeeling tea on the market than is actually produced in Darjeeling each year. As a big fan of Darjeeling tea, this is both troubling and not surprising (it is a really good tea). This tea fetches a price per pound almost fifty percent higher than Assam and Nilgiri and can rival the price per pound of some well-known Chinese teas.

What GI Means to Darjeeling Tea

By protecting Darjeeling tea, the Indian government not only ensures that the quality of the tea locally grown meets the definition of a Darjeeling but that it can stop tea being grown and manufactured outside of this area from being marketed as Darjeeling. As an American, it is oddly ironic to learn that most of the counterfeit Darjeeling was being produced in China, which is often cited as the counterfeit capital for knock-offs of American movies, music, and high-end clothing lines.

In order to get the Geographic Identification, the India Tea Board had to develop a definition of what makes a Darjeeling tea. It is defined as “Tea either currently being or having been cultivated, grown or produced in one of the 87 tea gardens in the defined geographic area of Darjeeling as determined by the India Tea Board, as well as processed and manufactured in a factory located in the defined geographic area. When tested by expert tea tasters, it is determined to have the distinctive and naturally occurring organoleptic characteristics of taste, aroma, and mouth feel, typical of tea cultivated, grown and produced in the region of Darjeeling, India.”

Darjeeling, India, By SebaDella, CC BY 2.0 Generic

By creating the definition, the India Tea Board can license and monitor all stages of Darjeeling tea production to ensure quality and compliance with their certification. As a consumer of the tea, it makes it simple to know if I am getting an authentic Darjeeling through the logo that is put on every pound of Darjeeling leaving the area for consumption. The Tea Board is currently working with outside firms to automate as much of the oversight as possible, and through doing so, making it easier for the Tea Board to pursue counterfeiters and get their products off the market or labeled more clearly. This ultimate helps to protect the growers and producers of Darjeeling by allowing the tea price to keep increasing as demand outstrips supply. If you have never had a second flush Darjeeling, you should. It is a truly complex tea that has a medium to full-bodied feel with floral, fresh grass, muscatel flavors and a lingering finish. The terroir of the West Bengal region India is credited for creating this complex tea given that it is a very high elevation area residing at the base of the Himalayas, home to the three highest mountain peaks on the planet. It is the one place in India where Camellia Sinensis Sinensis is grown instead of Camellia Sinensis Assamica.

Mountainous Darjeeling tea plantation, India

Darjeeling Tea Plantation, By Shankar S., CC by 2.0 generic

Darjeeling Tea: First Flush or Second?

If you are wondering why the second flush instead of the first? The first flush is delicate, much more like a white tea and while still a wonderful tea, the second flush is where the flavor comes out in this tea. The manufacturing process for Darjeeling is also unique because while it is marketed as a black tea its oxidation levels reside in the oolong range, which helps to draw out the flavors in this tea. So, I lift my tea cup to the India Tea Board and wish them luck in protecting this wonderful drink. May all their hard work reap many rewards for the farmers and manufacturers of Darjeeling in the years to come.

Tea Travels: How Does Tea Get to Market?

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As we noted in an earlier blog about where tea is grown, tea comes from a large number of countries around the world, though only a relatively small number including China, India, Japan, and Kenya produce it in large scale. But we were curious, how does the tea actually get into our hands for consumption?

Tea, of course, starts with the plant, Camellia sinensis. Tea plants begin life as cuttings in a nursery before being planted in fields for commercial growing. These fields may be corporately owned or those of smallholders which makeup a substantial, if not the majority of growers around the world. (United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, 2012). After a flush of new growth appears, pluckers will pick leaves ranging from a bud only to a bud and two or three leaves, collecting the leaves in a basket or other container. While manual labor is used for most plucking, some tea is harvested by mechanical means.

After plucking, tea immediately begins to loose moisture and begin oxidation and must quickly get to a manufacturing plant. So the farm and the manufacturing plant must be close enough to allow raw leaves to be delivered immediately. Farmers rarely own manufacturing facilities themselves, so after tea is picked in the field it is carried to a factory on foot, car, truck, bicycle, or motorcycle depending on what happens to be at hand. This may be done by the farmer or by middlemen who purchase the raw tea leaves and transport it to the factory for processing.

Tea Chests by Flickr user mikecogh, CC BY-SA-2.0

Once at a factory the tea leaves are processed and turned into one of the major types of teas. This may be done using CTC or Orthodox methods, ultimately resulting in a finished tea product that is ready for packaging and sale. At this stage tea is packaged in large containers made of a variety of types including polypropylene, jute (vegetable fiber spun into threads), or paper sacks or in tea chests. Tea chests are made of plywood lined with aluminum foil and parchment paper to ensure they resist absorption of other aromas and, when full, may weigh 75-160 lbs while foil lined tea sacks may weigh 55-130 lbs. (TIS-GDV, 2013)

Depending on country and local arrangement, tea may be sold directly to distributors and wholesalers or may go through auction. There are well established auction houses in Colombo, Mombasa, Calcutta, and cities in other major tea producing countries of the world. In some cases the tea is actually packaged and leaving port before money has traded hands!

Shipping Containers by Flicker user wirralwater, CC BY-2.0

Packaged tea is shipped in a variety of methods although excessive handling is not desired as sacks and chests are easily damaged resulting in loss of the tea within. It is normally placed on pallets and then moved by forklift into a shipping container to be shipped around the world. When it gets to the destination port this container may be emptied and the contents re-shipped, or the container itself may be forwarded on to the end buyer.

Upon reaching the distributor or wholesaler the shipment of tea is then split up, sold in existing packaging, or repackaged into smaller sizes for purchase by retailers and in some cases direct to consumer. At this point some tea may become the base of a blended tea or may remain as is. Finally, the retailer will repackage the finished product into sizes that are manageable for consumers and sold directly or sold to other retailers, tea houses, or hospitality establishments.

Since tea does have a shelf life it is important to get the tea to retailers and consumers quickly. Some aspects of shipping can be done faster, especially with air shipping and consumer purchase direct from the grower. However, these are generally niche solutions with low volume, appropriate for specialty teas and buyers who really know what they want and are willing to deal with some added risk of placing orders with a company overseas.

So where do you buy your tea? Physical tea store, on-line retailer, farmers market, other?

Like what we have to say? Let us know, follow the Dominion Tea blog or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

David @ Dominion Tea

Works Cited

TIS-GDV. (2013). Tea. Retrieved from Transport Information Services – GDV: http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/ware/genuss/tee/tee.htm

United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization. (2012). Contribution of Smallholders to the tea sub-sector and policies required to enhance their livelihood. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Intergovernmental Group on Tea.

Tea Bags vs Tea Leaves Part 1: CTC Tea

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There are two basic ways in which tea is manufactured for the global market, CTC and Orthodox. The process results in very different end products serving dramatically different needs. CTC tea manufacturing produces small bits of tea leaves that are typically found in tea bags while orthodox manufacturing provides a product with larger tea leaf parts on up to whole leaf. In Part 1 we will look in more detail at CTC tea manufacturing, the product derived from this method, and the consumer products that result. When we get to Part 2 we will examine Orthodox manufacturing methods and the resulting products.

Tea Processing – Flicker by Swaminthan – CC BY 2.0

CTC Tea Explained

CTC tea is defined as “Crush Tear Curl” and is a manufacturing method developed by William McKercher in 1931. By one account McKercher developed this method as a way of producing greater quantities of black tea using more mature, larger leaves which, when prepared with milk and sugar could appeal to a broader market (Srivastava, 2011). Regardless, CTC manufacturing spread widely between the 1950’s and 1970’s as teabags gained popularity.

CTC machines themselves are made up of large steel cylinders, manufactured with U or V shaped teeth in them, placed tightly together and turning at different rates of speed. After withering, tea is often pre-processed with a rotorvane, a machine that takes tea from a hopper and causes some initial tearing and crushing of the leaf before passing it along to the CTC machines. The tea is then crushed, torn, and twisted in passing between the steel cylinders of the CTC machine before falling onto a conveyor belt and moving along to another set of CTC rollers. This process can be repeated several times depending on the desired size of the finished product before finally moving along to be fired.

CTC Tea by USAGI-WRP CC BY 3.0

Finished product ranges in size substantially but is generally small pieces of tea leaf down to dust particles which are then rolled into small balls or pellets. The goal with CTC is generally a black tea product that oxidizes quickly and can be reliably produced with uniform size. CTC manufacturing really took off with the introduction of tea bags, thus it is not surprising today that the product of CTC manufacture is primarily for this market. Today CTC tea accounts for about 80% of the market for tea and is a significant part of production in most countries of the world. This probably should not be surprising since much of the word drinks black tea and CTC is synonymous with production of most black teas.

CTC Tea and Quality Tea

A quick word on quality. CTC tea is a very different product from that of Orthodox manufactured teas. The focus for CTC is much more on high volume, large scale tea production with faster oxidation of the product, and consistent taste and liquor appearance. The goal is normally consistent product such that buyers know what to expect with every purchase. The goal with Orthodox production is often very different where the aesthetics of the finished product is important, a wider variety of taste and aroma is desired, and in many cases it’s acceptable or desired to have product which varies from season to season. Therefore, it would really be unfair to hold Orthodox tea products up as “higher quality”. It’s more a question of what the buyer is looking for and if they wish to have greater opportunities to explore variations in tea or if they are just looking for a consistent cup of tea each and every day.

What is your preference, CTC, Orthodox, or does it matter as long as it tastes good?

Follow me @DominionTea or @DavidSColey

Works Cited

Srivastava, D. (2011, September 23). Methods of Basic Research: Issues of Ethics and Plagiarism, http://www.vecc.gov.in/colloquium/dks_lecture.pdf. Kolkata, India.