Producer of Tea, Part 1

It’s a well-known fact that India comes in second in the global ranking of the primary tea-producing countries. 

In India, the custom of drinking tea is a legacy left by the British colonizers who were the architects of the tea industry’s development in this country.

The success was such that this enjoyable habit quickly became a daily ritual and, to this day, overcomes all economic barriers and social disparities.

But before we look more closely at India’s tea producing regions, let’s go back about two centuries.

A GLIMPSE AT ITS ORIGINS

Way back in 1788, Sir Joseph Banks, a renowned botanist and president of the Royal Society, was the first to suggest that the climate of Assam could be suitable for tea cultivation. However, the Board of Directors of the English company showed little interest, preferring to prioritize the sourcing of tea from China, through profitable, yet illegal, trade involving Chinese tea and Indian opium. It was only after the Opium Wars that the British Crown began considering the need to encourage tea production in other areas of the British colonial Empire.

China’s monopoly on tea production needed to be broken. And what better way to do it than by exploring the possibility of cultivating tea in a country, India, that was under the control of the East India Company?

Thus, research began, initially with skepticism due to repeated failed experiments, but eventually with greater optimism, leading finally to success.

Finally, on May 8, 1838, in London, tea aficionados eagerly awaited the arrival of the Calcutta, a ship carrying the first precious cargo from this distant and exotic land.

TEA RESEARCH IN UPPER ASSAM

With the image of today’s familiar tea “bush” in mind, it’s difficult to imagine that the original tea plant, before pruning, was a tall and robust tree with large leaves, measuring up to 20-22 cm in length and 10 cm in width.

The first to have this intuition was Scottish merchant Robert Bruce. Unfortunately, he passed away before receiving confirmation from the Calcutta Botanical Garden that he had discovered a native variety of tea, different from the already well-known Chinese one. The confirmation was delivered to his brother Charles, who, for years, had struggled to make it known that a high quality tea could also be produced from the country’s indigenous tea plant. But with great determination and the help of two Chinese producers whom he recruited, Charles sent a shipment of forty-six cases aboard the Calcutta to the Tea Committee in London. Unfortunately, many of the cases became moldy during transport, with only eight arriving in good condition. A committee, comprised of members of the East India Company and renowned tea experts like Richard Twinings, inspected the shipment and approved its quality.

This success sparked such euphoria that English investors founded the Assam Company in order to lease land for tea cultivation. Over the next two centuries, the Assam state became the largest tea production area in the world.

Meanwhile, in Darjeeling…

In 1839, a civil surgeon named Dr. Campbell was transferred from Kathmandu to oversee the newly acquired region of Darjeeling, for which the English had obtained a lease from the Maharaja of Sikkim. They had come to realize how suitable these hearty hills were for establishing a sanatorium. However, the cool climate soon proved, above all, to be a great success for tea cultivation. Dr. Campbell attempted to plant some tea seeds (of the Chinese variety, not from Assam) near his residence in Beechwood. Soon, several plants grew (still alive today) and, in 1847, the government decided to develop nurseries to attempt tea cultivation in this pre-Himalayan area.

Within a few decades, tea cultivation expanded to the neighboring region of Terai and later to Dooars, where the Assam variety proved to be more suitable.

Moving to the northwest, the first commercial-scale tea plantation was established in the Kangra district in 1852.

IN SEARCH OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Tea’s unstoppable success found new outlets in southern India, where the first tiny tea sprouts were planted in an experimental plantation and, in 1854, a plantation near Coonoor became the first to produce Nilgiri tea. Literally “Blue Mountains”, in the Nilgiri region, thanks to its position and mild temperatures, tea can be harvested year round. This is why the area is in second place, after Assam, in terms of national annual yield.

THE FLAVOR OF DARJEELING TEA 

The small and exclusive area around Darjeeling, in the state of western Bengala, is a true gem in India’s treasure trove of tea. It extends along narrow valleys and slopes at the border between Nepal, Bhutan, and India. The picturesque town, perched at approximately 2,000 meters above sea level, gets its name from “Dorje” (thunderbolt, in the Tibetan language) and “Ling (place, land). And it’s true: the region is often overcast with moody clouds that give rise to frequent rainfall. Thanks to the constant humidity and the clouds which envelop the plantations like a pure white cloak, some of the best teas in the world grow here. The exclusivity of Darjeeling tea has earned it the honor of being the first Indian product to obtain the Geographical Indication (GI) status. Thanks to this acknowledgment, no other tea can be labeled as “Darjeeling” unless it’s produced in this specific district: only 87 tea plantations, scattered across these valleys in the foothills of the Himalayas. Every year the Darjeeling tea plantations produce approximately 9.6 million kilograms of tea, equal to slightly more than 1% of India’s total production: a niche product with a unique taste that can be attributed to climate, terrain, incline, mountain fog, and rain, which characterize this terroir. The majority of the plants belong to the original Chinese variety, Camellia Sinensis Sinensis, which is more delicate, complex, and fragrant as compared to the Assamica variety. Even its growth is slower and its leaves smaller. 

These physical characteristics, together with a laborious harvest (entirely manual due to the very steep terrain), result in a lower productivity per hectare with respect to Assam or other production zones in India. This explains its higher market price. 

In Darjeeling, tea isn’t harvested throughout the year, but only during specific periods, for which the harvests are named. These are:

• First Flush – from mid-March to the first week of May
• Second Flush – from the beginning of June to the first week of July
• Monsoon Flush – from mid-July to mid-October
• Autumnal Flush – from mid-October to mid-November

Every harvest is unique and has different characteristics from the others.

The springtime harvest is more fragrant and floral and obtained from the fresher and more tender buds that grow after the plants’ period of winter dormancy. If we want to make a comparison with wines, Darjeeling First Flush is a Beaujolais: an eagerly anticipated product once winter has subsided.

The Second Flush marks the arrival of summer and brings notes of ripe fruit to the cup, particularly muscatel. This harvest is also highly sought after by Darjeeling connoisseurs. Just think that the peak of muscatel lasts only five days!

Meanwhile, the tea harvested during the monsoons is darker in the cup, less complex, and predominantly used in blends.

Finally, there’s the autumn harvest, less famous than the spring or summer teas, but noteworthy for its sweetness, without any astringency: a delightful treat to warm up a chilly November afternoon.

AND SO

You’re probably wondering why I decided to begin this exploration of the biggest tea producing countries with India.

The answer is simple: after a hiatus of almost three years due to the pandemic, I was fascinated by the idea of experiencing the moment of the first spring harvest in person. Besides representing the epitome of Indian tea production, it symbolizes rebirth, and, for me personally, the revival of my travels in search of rare and premium teas. This country is so rich in allure that it’s impossible to do it justice in just these few lines. Come back next month when we’ll continue to explore tea production in Assam and discover other captivating corners of this vast and luxuriant corner of the world.