The great Indian tea party

India accounts for 27 per cent of the world's tea production.

India is home to the mystical Darjeeling tea, the strong Assam tea and the flavoury Nilgiri teas. All true teas are made from the processed leaves of varieties of the tea bush, Camellia Sinensis, a shrub that was first discovered in China about 2750 BC.

More than 3,000 varieties of teas are produced. The raw leaves are affected by the soil in which they grow, the climate, the weather and the time of picking, much like grapes that are used to make wine. There are also many different ways of processing the tealeaves.

Tea is categorised into different types — white, green, oolong, black and flavoured, depending on the manufacturing process.

Tea-making process

Manufacturing processes vary from country to country, but there are two basic methods — orthodox and CTC (cut, tear and curl). As the name suggests, orthodox is the traditional method of making tea, by rolling it. Orthodox teas are characterised by long, black leaf and golden tips. To make CTC variety, green leaf is fed into high-speed rollers equipped with tooth-like ridges. This process brings out the guttiness and colour of the teas and increases cuppage. All black teas, Orthodox and CTC, go through four basic stages of withering, rolling, oxidation and firing.

The early 19th century witnessed the discovery of tea in India. Generations of tea growers have perfected the art of making tea, which begins from the fine plucking of the leaf, processing state-of-the-art factories and ends up as the perfect cuppa. Stringent quality control ensures production of tea according to international standards.

With the production of more than 950 million kg, India produces all kinds of tea. The country is however, the largest producer of black tea in the world. With tea estates spread over half a million hectares and a workforce of more than three million, India accounts for 27 per cent of the world's tea production.

The vastness of the land, variations of soil and climate with four distinct growing seasons — first flush, second flush, rains and autumn — enables production of a large variety of teas having their own unique characteristic. There is a tea available to cater to every taste and blend and India can well be termed as a one-stop supermarket for tea.

The flagship of Indian teas, Darjeeling tea, is prized by connoisseurs across the globe. Nestling in the foothills of the snow covered Himalayan range, the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal in North-Eastern India grow this exclusive tea at altitudes ranging from 600 to 2,150 metres.

The cool and moist climate, the soil, the rainfall and the sloping terrain, all combine to give Darjeeling tea its unique muscatel flavour and exquisite bouquet that cannot be replicated. The first and second flush Darjeeling teas are considered the world's finest. To protect the origin and purity of these exclusive teas, Darjeeling tea has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) status. As tea from this region, always famous for its flavour, fragrance and quality, is a brand by itself. The first tea seed was planted in 1823 in the northeastern part of India. Tea gardens have flourished since and the whole of the Brahmaputra valley is one great green carpet of tea.

The state of Assam is the single-largest tea-growing region in the world. It produces tea that is low grown, full bodied and has a special malty characteristic of its own. The distinctive second flush Assam teas are valued for their rich taste, bright liquors and are considered one of the choicest teas in the world.

In south India, on the Nilgiri hills, which are the picturesque range of undulating hills, tea grows at elevations ranging from 1,000 metres to above 2,500 metres. This region produces tea with the right balance of fine flavour and brisk liquor. Unlike the seasonal Darjeeling and Assam tea, the Nilgiri tea grows throughout the year.

India has also emerged as the largest producer of organic tea in the world. Organic tea is nature friendly, naturally grown and processed. The organic process involves planting tea bushes along with leguminous plants, using herbal pesticides and natural fertilisers. A lot of care is taken to preserve the natural flavour of tea.

Tea is an integral part of Indian culture. The country not only produces significant volumes of tea, but is also the largest consumer of tea in the world. Nearly 75 per cent of the tea produced is consumed within the country itself but exports, have still been about 200 million kilograms annually. Demand for Indian tea has shown an increase in recent years. In 2006, India exported 203.86 million kg accounting for three per cent of world tea exports. Indian tea has a major market in the UAE and other west Asian and north African (WANA) countries. In 2006, India exported 75 million kg to the WANA region with the UAE alone importing 22 million kg.

Branding Indian tea

Other important destinations of Indian tea are the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, the UK and other European countries. Considering the demand for pure Indian tea and to prevent the misuse of the Indian tea brand, the Tea Board has developed a logo for Indian tea in the form of a tea picker with India Tea written below. This logo distinguishes Indian tea from tea of other origins. To ensure that the consumer gets pure Darjeeling, Nilgiri or Assam tea, the Tea Board has also created a logo specific to each region. This logo can be used on a pocket only when it contains 100 per cent Darjeeling, Assam or Nilgiri tea.

In order to further ensure the quality of Indian tea, the Government of India has laid down specifications defining the standards of quality, which the Indian tea exporter has to conform to while exporting tea. Because of its quality and strength Indian tea is considered indispensable by blenders of most of the leading international brands. Pure Indian tea, however, continues to be the ultimate choice of the most discerning connoisseurs throughout the world.

— The writer is Director of Tea Promotion, Tea Board of India.