Beyond Darjeeling: The best teas from south India
The south produces about 17% of India’s tea production. It's time to celebrate the special attributes of the various teas from the region and showcase them to the world
When we think of tea from India, Darjeeling and Assam spring to mind, and then the Nilgiris. Then, maybe a few other regions like Kangra or Sikkim. This week, I am looking at the south, and discovering even for myself how there’s more than meets the eye.
The south produces smaller volumes, about 17% of India’s tea production. Promoting these teas are The Golden Leaf India Awards (TGLIA), by the Uniter Planters’ Association of South India. Now in its 20th year, the awards were announced recently and the entries included teas from the Nilgiris as well as Wayanad and Travancore (Kerala), the High Ranges (Kerala and Tamil Nadu), the Anamallais (Tamil Nadu), parts of Karnataka, and smaller tea regions like Nelliyampatti (Kerala), and Singampatti, Kanyakumari and Madurai (all in Tamil Nadu).
“Before TGLIA," says Santosh Kumar, chief executive, Harrisons Malayalam (HML), Kochi, “south Indian tea, though diversified, was always generalised. TGLIA has been able to bring to the forefront the special attributes of the various tea regions of south India and showcase them to the world."
Most of the tea regions in the south lie in the Western Ghats. In Karnataka, tea grows in the Malnad belt of Coorg-Hassan-Sakleshpur, where coffee reigns. Tea from here is rather quiet and unfussy. Moving south is Wayanad in Kerala, but bordering Karnataka, with a near 100-year tea history.
Then comes the Nilgiris, one of the two high-elevation regions, the other being the High Ranges, better recognised by Munnar in Kerala. These are the highest tea-growing regions in the world at elevations hovering in the 7,000ft range. Kolukkumalai tea estate, located in the High Ranges on the Tamil Nadu border with Kerala, is said to be the world’s highest tea estate at nearly 8,000ft. High-elevation teas are considered to be especially flavourful. The Nilgiris is known for its fragrance, while The High Ranges makes a fruitier tea.
Further south, Travancore in Kerala came up in the late 19th century, in Peeramade and later in Vandiperiyar, Thekkady and Vagamon. This area is rich in its biodiversity and plantation crops like pepper and cardamom, which influence its rather well-balanced tea.
Part of why TGLIA was created was to show what’s possible, “like an F1 race", as Sreedharan Chandran, director of the Woodbriar Group, calls it. Winning the TGLIA takes the teas through multiple rounds with a final blind tasting by an international panel. Jurist Kurush Bharucha described the entries as “the impressive flair of south Indian teas… each agro-climatic zone reflecting the uniqueness of its distinct taste, diversity and terroir." One of several reasons to choose south Indian teas.
TEA TAKES
Woodbriar and HML topped the list with eight awards each. Look for their online stores as well as other winning tea brands: Harrisons Tea Town, Parry Agro, Briar Tea (Woodbriar Group), Darmona Tea and Ripple Tea.
Tea Nanny is a fortnightly series on the world of tea. Aravinda Anantharaman is a tea drinker, writer and editor. She posts @AravindaAnanth1
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