‘People don’t drink enough tea in India’
That’s what Tea Board of India Chairman Basudev Banerjee says.
India is the largest producer of black tea, but from 2005 on, China has overtaken India as the largest exporter. In fact, though India exports about 200 million kg, it is behind Sri Lanka, Kenya, and China.
Indian tea exports consist of very high-value Darjeeling tea. My own favourite is Orange Pekoe which has an aroma that’s out of this world, absolutely refreshing. [click the logo for more info ]
Darjeeling enjoys a high level of demand in Britain, Europe , Japan and China.
We also export orthodox Assam and Nilgiri teas that are high value. On the other end of the spectrum there are very plain, low-end teas that are exported to markets such as Iraq.
Other countries claim to produce 'Darjeeling Tea' and that's led to a whole issue of patents. Click on the picture for an in-depth look at the pirated Darjeeling controversy.
One would think the Indians should have been proud of their great tea manufacturing tradition.
And the various ways in which tea is prepared here.
Hyderabadi tea.
Nilgiri tea.
The variously flavoured lemon teas.
Tibetan Tea
Iced tea, absolutely delicious and refreshing.
But do you know what Indian tea is losing out to?
COLAS!
The market shift is away from teas to consumption of colas!
Preposterous.
If you’re visiting my house this summer, all you’re gonna get is iced lemon tea.
Prepared from the best of Sikkim and Darjeeling gardens.
Comments
about the cola...i dont know about the demographics but sir most of my friends as well as seniors have really taken to drinking juices and tea in summers and almost all of them avoid colas...only in case when there is no alternative do people turn to colas.
the marketting of ice tea has to be done on a larger scale so that they are available at most of hte places...they sure give a tough competition to colas.