Terroir, if you aren’t familiar with the term refers to the unique environmental factors that affect the flavor of food and beverages. These factors involve the composition of the soil, the climate, the latitude, elevation and the surrounding ecosystem. In India, different areas surely produce different flavors; South India has rolling hills and rich, orange color soil. Assam is mostly flat and Darjeeling very high in the foothills of the Himalayas. Not only does the environment play a role in flavor, but the variety of Camellia Sinensis planted there matters too. Assamica type is typically grown in the flat plains areas and Chinery type (indigenous to China) is grown in the higher hills. Thus, “mountain grown” tea is most likely Chinery type.
Why does it matter? It matters because other aspects of the cup are affected too, like the body. High grown mountain teas will never, not ever have the full-bodied malty character you can get in Assam. And Assam teas will never, not ever have the ‘muscatel’ aroma and flavor that Darjeeling teas do.
It is said Darjeeling is the Champagne of Teas, but really India holds so many incredibly unique flavors - to say one area over another is better than the other is simply a matter of personal taste and not fact.
The weather changes yearly, and that affects the flavor of tea. Like wine has some good years and some not-same goes for tea. The biggest difference between tea and wine, aside from the alcohol, is that wine ages well when kept properly. Tea is an entirely different substance, usually stored in dried, not brewed form, so the shelf life is significantly shorter. If you’d like to learn more about terroir, email Amy!
Where is Tea Grown in India?
Below are the different parts of India that grow tea that are all different terroir and produce teas with entirely unique flavors. Assam is the largest and is a state, the Nilgiris is a region with a footprint crossing 3 states (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) and Darjeeling is a town in the state of West Bengal.
India’s largest tea-producing area. Assam is bisected by the Brahmaputra river, so there is a North Bank and South Bank, and a south part of the state as well. This is a huge state holding about 800 estates and tens of thousands of small growers. Assam is known for full-bodied, malty teas. Your Irish Breakfast is usually 100% from Assam. But this area also produces green, white and oolong teas, and rarely matcha and pu-ehr style.
Darjeeling is a town surrounded by very steep hills and cultivating tea in this area is a bit treacherous. The harvesting months (March-November) also contains monsoon season, and there is no tea processed here in the colder months. That’s when all the pruning and garden work is done so the flavor will be excellent the following Spring. This is a very small area, only about 80 or so gardens.
South Indian gardens have red soil, so the composition of minerals really has an affect on the flavor of teas here. Most commodity teas are coming from South India, because of the bright color and briskness, but there are about a dozen gardens out of the 150 or so producing truly world-class teas. Especially white tea; as this area is close to the equator, tea is harvested all year long.
Arunachal Pradesh borders Assam and is a protected district; foreigners need a special permit to enter quite possibly the last of unspoiled land in this part of the country. The lush valleys and high hills give tea from this state a special flavor, and like the mountainous areas, the harvesting seasons stop when the weather turns cold. The tea from this area is mainly handmade in smaller gardens or collectives.
Himachal Pradesh grows mostly Chinery type tea, which gives a light-bodied cup and perfumy aroma. Himachal is in the North of India, to the West of Mt. Everest and the high altitude and clean air makes tea from this area precious. Like Darjeeling, the harvesting season is very short, and there are significantly fewer gardens, so the teas from this area are quite limited, and very special. This was the first area to be planted with tea in India.
Manipur is a state in the Northeast right near Assam. This area is known for wild tea trees that have been used to prepare tea since time immemmorial. Tea, when not pruned like bonsai in the other areas, can grow 30 ft in the air and live for hundreds of years. The ‘forest’ tea or ‘wild’ tea here has a flavor like none other. Truly rare teas from this part of the country.
Sikkim is quite a special place in India, not only because this is a predominantly Buddhist area (not Hindu), but also because it’s a 100% organic state, which is quite a unique designation! The altitude is quite high in the foothills of the himalayas so tea from this state is limited and of very fine quality.
Mizoram is a sister state to Assam, Arunachal, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya. The advent of specialty teas in this area is in its infancy and we’re so excited to see what teas the few hundred small producers in this area will create in the coming years. Mizoram has hills and valleys and is a developing area.
Uttaranchal Pradesh is a state that produce very little tea, unfortunately because the terroir of this area is extraordinary! High mountain peaks mean this area has quite unique weather patterns. If you see tea from this area, that’s quite a gift indeed!
A similar thing can be said for Tripura as Mizoram. This area is quite hilly and has many narrow valleys. This is a growing area with several dozen gardens and countless small producers. Looking forward to the unique flavors and styles coming from this developing area in coming years.
Dooars and Terai areas are in the flat area below the Darjeeling hills, which are the foothills of the Himalayas (where Mt. Everest is). This area is known for experimentation and is being recognized more and more as a quality area because the knowledge and skills of tea garden managers is increasing. Traditionally this area is constantly compared to Darjeeling, which it cannot possibly produce a similar flavor to, despite the fact that it’s only about a 2 hour drive to a wildly different terroir. It does, however, have its own unique character. Terai is a huge area and Doors is the Nepali word (from my understanding) meaning “Doors” or “Doorway” to the mountains. Tea from this area has a longer harvesting time because it’s in the plains, an area significantly warmer than the hills. If there are small amounts of specialty teas from this area, try them! The adventurousness and innovation is leading to some great flavors.