Tea Varieties in India

In India, there are three distinctly different tea growing regions. These regions are geographically separated, thereby producing three entirely different teas both in style and in taste/flavor. The three regions are:

• Darjeeling (North-Eastern India),
• Assam (far North-East India)
• Nilgiri (South India).

Further, we have a small Kangra Tea industry also which is made of 5,900 tea gardens spread over an area of 2312 hectares between Shahpur-Palampur-Baijnath-Jogindernagar in Himachal Pradesh.

Assam Tea

Assam is the single largest contiguous tea growing area in the world.  The Assam tea is generally known as Breakfast tea or English Breakfast Tea.  The variety is C. sinensis var. assamica

Nilgiri Tea

Nilgiri Tea is grown in the hills of the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu as well as some other parts of South India. They are a picturesque range of undulating hilly landscapes where tea is grown at elevations ranging from 1,000 meters to 2,500 meters. Rainfall varies from 60 inches to 90 inches annually. Roughly 50% of the Nilgiri tea produced in India is exported.