India contends with China for the title of world’s paramount producer of tea. There are more than 100,000 tea estates employing millions of tea workers around the geographically and ethnically diverse subcontinent of India. Tea is so implanted in the essence of Indian culture that almost 80 percent of the million or so metric tons of tea it produces is consumed by its own people. India’s territory defines its tea-growing regions by the subcontinent’s significant differences in geography as well as climate.
“Chai” literally means “tea” in Hindi which further originates from “cha,” the Chinese word for “tea.” The term chai means a
mélange of a myriad spices blending into a tea-like beverage. Recipes for chai differs across continents, cultures, cities and
ethnicities, though the traditional ingredients of a spiced tea include black tea mixed with strong spices like cinnamon, ginger,
cardamom, cloves, etc.
The three world famous Indian tea regions are Assam, Darjeeling, and Nilgiris. Northeastern India comprises both the Assam
region, located in the lush, dense jungles at the foot of the eastern Himalaya, and the Darjeeling region, which protrudes up
against Tibetan Himalaya and spans across high mountain peaks and deep valleys. Nilgiris, on the other hand, is set in the
mountains of the southernmost tea-growing zones in India. The Nilgiri (Blue Hill) Mountains are characteristic of high altitude
ridges that enjoy lush forests and jungles where tea plants flourish.
