South Asia Tea

To each his own...

Learn more about the countries of South Asia and the tea industry...

Sri Lanka

The tea industry on this island nation is the country’s largest employer. Sri Lanka produces tea throughout the year at elevations that range from sea level to 6,187 feet.  As the country formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka’s widely sought after Ceylon Tea is produced in the highest elevations.  The mountains frame tea fields that spill into a valley sprinkled with bright tropical flowers, which add color to the deep greens of the tea plantations. Men and women slowly walk the rows of tea bushes as they carefully pluck the tender leaves.

Darjeeling, India

Regarded as the choicest of teas, Darjeeling is grown on 100 estates in the foothills of the Himalayas at about 7000 ft. in West Bengal, India.  Light and delicate in flavor and aroma, Darjeeling is an ideal complement to dinner or afternoon tea. The first "flushes" (pluckings) of April are thought to produce the best Darjeeling, but the second flush is picked between May and June and produces excellent quality teas that are considered by some to be better than the first flush.

Nepal

Tea and walking–two ingredients found in the early morning down the narrow streets of Kathmandu, Nepal. Lay people and saffron- robed Buddhist monks and nuns wake early to walk around one of the many stupas in Kathmandu while they spin prayer wheels and methodically pray through strings of prayer beads. Along the tilted streets and alleyways friends, family and coworkers settle around tables to savor an early cup of piping brew.

Assam, India

Nestled in the northeast corner of India, Assam is the birthplace of Indian tea but remains one of India’s least populated regions.  In the 16th century a Dutch traveler observed that the Assamese ate the wild indigenous tea leaves as a vegetable with garlic and oil and boiled the leaves to make a brew.  In the 19th century the British rediscovered this natural resource and, regardless of the remote and hostile area, cold winters, steamy summers, tigers, leopards, wolves and regular raids by local hill tribes, established tea plantations that are still in use today.

Kashmir, India

Himalayan ranges provide a backdrop for the bare lake and desolate fields where crisp cold air permeates the Kashmir Valley through the winter months. In homes where families and friends continue to use time-honored methods to keep warm, meals are completed with a cup of Kahva, a light aromatic tea. Kahva is traditionally prepared in a “samovar.” Red-hot charcoal is dropped into the central chimney of a copper pot around which water is heated. Green tea leaves are brewed, seasoned with cardamom seeds, cinnamon sticks, and other delicate spices. Sweetened with sugar, Kahva is garnished with sliced almonds, and served without milk. A precious dash of saffron is added for honored guests and special occasions.

Bhutan

Waking up on winter mornings can be daunting in this last Himalayan Buddhist kingdom in the world. What better to look forward to as you drag yourself out of bed than a nice steaming cup of suja? Prepared mostly during the colder months of the year, suja is a traditional Himalayan drink made from tea, butter, and salt. Suja is also served at official occasions and religious ceremonies throughout the year.