Tea Gardens of India: From Tea Leaves to Tea Tourism
For most of us in India, tea is part of everyday life. It may be the first drink in the morning, a break during office hours or something served when friends and relatives visit. Yet the cup of tea on our table has travelled through a much longer journey than we usually see, and that journey begins in a tea garden. Across India, tea-growing regions have developed their own identity based on climate, elevation, rainfall, soil and methods of production. Assam is known for its strong teas, Darjeeling for its distinctive high-altitude teas, while the Nilgiris in southern India form another major tea-growing region. In West Bengal, the Dooars and Terai are also important parts of India's tea landscape. Today, these regions are not only places of tea production. They have also become interesting places for travellers who want to understand where tea comes from. A tea garden holiday can include plantation walks, learning about tea plucking, seeing how fresh leaves are handled, visiting a ...