Indian Teas at Tea-Direct
India is the second largest producer of teas in the world, producing a variety of black teas, many of which are highly sought after and world renowned. Indian teas are harvested seasonally and are often named after the region in which they are grown, the time of harvest, and sometimes the grade of tea. The people of India are the largest consumers of tea in the world, drinking more than 20 per cent of the world’s tea every year!
History of Indian Teas
Large scale production of tea began in India in the early 1820s, and since then consumption in India, and around the world, has risen to huge numbers, making these teas favourites for tea lovers everywhere who value their delightful flavours and exquisite aromas.
The assamica variety of the tea plant has grown in India for thousands of years and the Indian people have been preparing tea from it for at least 500 years.
Climate and Harvesting of Indian Teas
The climates of the famous Assam and Darjeeling regions are considered key in producing the delightful flavours and aromas of many Indian teas; a complex balance of conditions throughout the year come together perfectly during the one or two harvests each year, known as the ‘first flush’ and ‘second flush’, producing the much sought-after aromas and flavours.
The first flush tends to be the first of the season, occurring in early spring when there is some rainfall, but the air is still relatively dry from the winter. The second flush usually takes place in early summer, when the higher rainfall produces good quality teas. There is also sometimes the monsoon tea, or in-between teas, which are any teas harvested throughout the heavy rains of the mid-season.
While India produces a wide variety of black teas, white, green and oolong teas, there are three varieties that are always in demand: Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri.
Produced in the warm, humid climates of West Bengal, where fresh, clean air imbues the leaves with delightfully floral aromas, Darjeeling Tea Leaf is an excellent, light tea that offers up delicate fruit flavours, which are characterised as Muscatel, in reference to the Muscat variety of grape.
A small-leaf, wonderfully fragrant black tea from the Quinshola garden, in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India, which reveals the characteristic, well-rounded flavours of a Nilgiri. Medium-bodied, with the strength of an Assam, Nilgiri BOP can be enjoyed all through the day.
This large leaf Darjeeling tea is made from leaves harvested during the second flush in the summer months and is known for its sweet, muscat-like fruitiness.
Assam PF Tea – From £9.99