Back in the day, Europe had, for over 200 years, slowly become addicted to tea thanks to the lively trade with China. The formula for tea making had remained constant for over a thousand years in China, yet the Europeans had no clue what went into the making of their favourite brew, because it was a state secret.
The Chinese and all the world are now familiar with at least one legend about the discovery of tea. It appears that one day, when the mythical emperor Shennong was resting in the shade of a camellia bush, a leaf lazily floated into his cup of hot water. When the water turned green, the emperor, no stranger to the healing properties of plants, felt that the mixture would not bring him harm, so he took a quick sip and was pleasantly surprised to find it was quite refreshing—gently aromatic, a bit bitter, stimulating, and restorative. The rest, they say, is history!
id you know that the Chinese were fiercely protective of tea and fought back hard against the British from getting to know its secret formula? The British, as you know, just can’t do without their ‘cuppa’ of comfort, so you can imagine how, back in the day, they used all kinds of ways to secretly smuggle it out of China.
Making no headway in their earlier attempts, in 1848, the British East India Company recruited botanist Robert Fortune to travel to China to purloin the secrets of tea planting and manufacture. In 1843, Fortune, on his first collecting trip to China, had discovered that green tea and black tea came from the same plant.
The Scotsman now rose to the occasion, once again disguising himself in a Mandarin costume to penetrate deeper into the interiors—into the Wu Si Shan hills, which was forbidden land for foreigners. Spurred on by the fear of discovery or, worse still, death, Fortune, accompanied by his Chinese servant, Wang, somehow managed to wheedle his way into a green tea factory.
Robert Fortune had been tasked to collect tea plants and seeds from the best localities to be transmitted to the tea nurseries in India. But he also had to find out how tea was cultivated and manufactured by the Chinese.
Returning safe and sound with his saplings and seeds and inner knowledge on planting and manufacturing tea, Fortune set ablaze a new frontier for the British in India. It was in Fortune's own lifetime that India even outran China as the world's largest tea grower.
Today, travellers can enjoy immersive vacations in India's tea estates to delve into the colonial history and heritage of the industry. The trail in India takes you from the gorgeous Himalayan enclaves of the Darjeeling Hills to Darjeeling, a lovely hill station in West Bengal, to the plains of the Dooars, which connect you to Sikkim and its tea gardens, and further on to the foothills of Bhutan. Interspersing the jungles of Assam are vast swathes of tea plantations, famous for their black teas. Heading south, you can sample the delights of the tea estates of the Nilgiri hills around Munnar in Kerala, Coonoor, and Ooty in Tamil Nadu.
Darjeeling Delights
Flying out from Kolkata brings you to Bagdogra airport, from where you can drive up to Darjeeling, famed for the world's best teas. It is Darjeeling's high altitudes, steady rainfall, and cooling mists, which give its teas that “effervescent” quality and is characterised by sweet, fruity, muscatel notes and a refreshingly light astringency. Most tea connoisseurs describe Darjeeling tea as the 'champagne of all teas.' Amongst its most treasured tea brands are Margaret's Hope, Thurbo Whole Leaf Darjeeling Tea, Castleton Premium Muscatel Darjeeling Tea, and Badamtam Single Estate Organic Darjeeling Tea—all sold at premium prices. Golden Needle Tea, for example, can cost around Rs 1 lakh per kg; Makaibari Silver Tips Imperial Tea, produced at the famous Makaibari Tea Estate and fabled for its exquisite flavour, can sell at up to Rs 1 lakh per kg. This oolong cultivar has distinctive buds which look like silver needles and have a fruity aroma. Lopchu Tea Estate, famous for its Lopchu Golden Orange Pekoe, is sequestered in a sunny glen overlooking the mighty Mt Khanchendzonga.
Glenburn Tea Estate is a great base to explore Darjeeling's tea heritage. Guests are accommodated in two bungalows, each comprising four suites and common areas, gardens, verandas, and terraces accessible to all guests.
The Burra Bungalow features four bedrooms, charmingly decorated, comfortable and spacious, yet cosy. Each of the suites, as their names suggest, offers a unique experience for our guests. Two of the suites have fireplaces, and three of the bathrooms have free-standing bathtubs, while all four bathrooms have a lovely walk-in rain shower. The Water Lily Bungalow offers four suites, a Living Room, a smaller Dining Room, two verandas and garden areas, and is connected to The Burra Bungalow by a stone staircase. It also houses a Massage and Steam Room. All the menus are crafted to the select preferences of each guest. The menus comprise a range of cuisine—from interesting local fare and traditional Indian dishes to exotic South-East Asian delicacies, and a variety of European dishes.
A tea tour is an essential part of your vacay at Glenburn, with an introductory audio-visual on the history of Glenburn, and a brief overview of how tea is grown, manufactured, and tasted. You then move on to the factory for a guided tour on how the leaf is brought in from the fields, weighed, and then taken through the processes of withering, rolling, fermenting, drying, and sorting. A tea tasting session follows with the range of black, green, oolong, and white teas, where one can discover the differences in aroma, flavour, and appearance of tea manufactured in different ways and at different times of the year.
You will also get an opportunity to interact with the women tea pickers on the guided walk/drive through the tea fields and even learn the delicate task of how to pluck the "two leaves and a bud," the process of which ends in your morning cuppa.
Off-site, you should explore the bustling market at Chowrasta, go on a heritage walk to see the colonial structures in town, and enjoy a joy ride on the legendary Darjeeling toy train.
Sikkim Sojourn
In Sikkim, one can explore Temi Tea Estate, which offers a whole new look at how tea production evolved in India. The tea garden spread over 440 acres on the slopes of the Tendong Hill, lies between Damthang and Temi Bazaar, near Namchi, the main town of South Sikkim. The only tea-producing region of Sikkim offers one of the finest tea harvests in the world. It was in 1969 that Sikkim’s last Chogyal himself established this plantation to employ Tibetan refugees fleeing the Chinese invasion.
At the factory, you can pull back the curtain on the processing of green, black, and white teas. The Institute of Marketology (IMO) of Switzerland has certified this tea garden as organic, and hence, the quality and demand for this certified product have increased. Temi Tea Bungalow, located here, is managed by STDC and can be contacted for accommodation. Visitors may halt for tea and snacks in the bungalow as well. The Scottish missionaries in the early 1900s built this bungalow with wooden interiors and a fireplace that is still functional. One can stay at the Cherry Resort, set amidst the lush green tea gardens.
Amazing Assam
Numerous tea estates cut a swathe around the state of Assam, fabled for its black teas. Visitors get to stay in heritage bungalows from the colonial era, take in factory visits, and interact with the tea pickers in the tea fields. Assam contributes to India’s half tea output and plays a significant role in promoting tea tourism in India.
Manohari Gold Tea, produced in Assam, is one of the costliest teas in India, with prices up to Rs 2.5 lakh per kg in auctions.
Thengal Manor in tranquil Jalukonibari, 15km away from downtown Jorhat, offers a fabulous colonial-era experience of tea life. Home of a tea baron, the 72-year-old property is steeped in atmospherics with its plush suites, en-suite bathrooms, and dressing rooms. Home to the affluent and illustrious Khongiya Barooah, it is filled with beautiful artworks from around the world. It's also a great base to go sightseeing to Majuli Island, Cinnamora Tea Estate (the first tea estate in Assam), and Tocklai Tea Research Centre (the world’s largest and oldest tea research station).
Meanderings in Munnar
The salubrious air of this pretty hill town in Kerala is idyllic for propagating the charms of a holiday on a tea estate. The Kannan Devan Hill Plantation brings you back to the British Era. Spread over 2461 hectares, it also houses India’s first-ever tea museum – the Tata Tea Museum. It's an absolute must-do to understand how the other half of India’s tea gardens existed in these southern climes. On the showcase here is machinery used in tea production from the early to the late 20th century. Also on display is the original tea roller from 1905, a rotor vane, a peloton wheel from the Kanniamally Estate power plant in the 1920s, and artifacts from the Kundale Valley Light Railway that operated between Munnar and Top Station in the early 1900s.
You will take home countless memories of the gorgeous Lockhart Tea Estate, one of the oldest Munnar tea plantations. The Lockhart Tea Estate Museum was established by the German planter Baron John Von Rosenberg and his son in 1936. Dive deep into the traditional procedure for growing and processing tea. Browse through the collection of antique tools used on the plantations, including fletcher sprayers, shears, and mechanical harvesting devices. Lockhart Factory still follows the traditional methods to produce tea, which you will learn all about in a 30-minute tour.
Cavorting Around Coonoor
From its elevation at 1,850m above sea level, Coonoor in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu offers a sublime staycation for visitors looking to explore south India’s tea heritage.
Station yourself in Neemrana’s Wallwood Garden, the 19th-century Scottish-style hotel for forays around this gorgeous back-to-nature slice of Tamil Nadu. You can visit the Coonoor Tea Estate free of cost from 6 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day of the week. It’s one of the best places to explore on the Ooty tour. You can also opt for a visit to the Highfield Tea Factory. You can walk through the plantations, and learn all about plucking techniques, tea production, and how the southern climate impacts tea growing here.
There are tea gardens galore to explore in India, following the well-entrenched trails going back to the Raj days. Each offers its own charms... because one size does not fit all when it comes to a tea experience in India.