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| Image Source: bbc.com |
Tea has a long and storied history in India. Although commercial production didn't take off until the British East India Company started cultivating tea gardens in Assam, Indians have been drinking tea and using wild tea leaves in medicinal preparations since 750 B.C. Today, India is second only to China as the largest exporter of tea, and Indians consume cups of chai on a daily basis.
Tea lovers who wish to know more about the history of tea as well as take delicious sips of some of the most famous tea brews in the world shouldn't miss an opportunity to visit one of the following Indian tea regions.
Assam
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| Image Source: seriouseats.com |
Assam, located in the remote northeast of India, is the largest tea-growing region in the world. Tea plants used to grow wild in the Brahmaputra valley but have been cultivated commercially for 150 years. Visitors can enjoy beautiful views of rolling fields and more than 800 tea plantations, as well as take a sip of the strong, malty black tea the region is famous for. The area is also home to two UNESCO World Heritage parks, the Kaziranga National Park and the Manas National Park, as well as numerous monuments, temples and mosques dating back to the medieval era.
Assam also produces a small quantity of the green and white varieties.
Darjeeling
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| Image Source: statelyteas.com |
Darjeeling, a small town in West Bengal, is home to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and is a popular summer vacation destination among domestic tourists due to its high altitude and cool climate.
Although marketed as black tea, Darjeeling tea actually comes in black, white, green, and oolong varieties. It has a sharp tang which fans liken to muscatel. There are approximately 144 tea gardens in Darjeeling, and each one produces tea with distinct tastes and aromas.
Apart from tea garden tours, there are numerous other attractions in Darjeeling. The view of the sun rising over the Himalayas, as seen from Tiger Hill, is a major tourist destination, as are Darjeeling's monasteries, parks, Japanese peace pagoda, and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.
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