Six Sublime Brews
Here are some of my favourite tea gardens and their finest teas.

- Sep 2, 2017,
- Updated Sep 6, 2017 11:52 AM IST
Our work in tea takes us to the most unusual and some of the most beautiful places in the country. Imagine climbing 630 steps to reach a garden, or driving through nine kilometres of forest land in Assam to arrive at the estate, or riding on a ferry to reach the farthest corner of the country to find a tea that's truly sublime. Often, during the season, before dawn breaks, we set out from Siliguri. Most of the town is still asleep as we make our way towards the hills. Twenty minutes later, we are surrounded by nature - tall pine trees, rhododendrons, and, of course, the familiar swathes of green tea bushes. As the sun lights up the landscape, host gardens would have set up their tasting tables. We sip and slurp, tasting flavours of the land - some floral, some earth - no two teas are ever the same. It's all in a day's work for us, and it only makes us appreciate our favourite drink better. Here are some of my favourite tea gardens and their finest teas.
In South India, the Nilgiris are an absolute treasure of vintage gardens and gorgeous landscapes. My favourite has to be the Adderley tea estate. The sholas or the rainforests in these hills of the Western Ghats are breathtakingly beautiful. A winding road up the ghats brings one to the Adderley gardens which is part of the Glendale estates. Adderley also plays host to visitors to the Glendale estates, in its wonderfully cosy estate bungalow.
Again, as with so many tea gardens, Adderley, too, has planted clonal bushes - here, it's the CR6017 clones that bring a flavorful complexity to the teas. We especially look forward to the winter produce from here, when frost preserves and concentrates the flavours in the tea leaves, creating a unique and brilliantly flavoured tea. The Adderley Winter Frost Black Tea is priced at Rs16,750 for a kilo.
Our work in tea takes us to the most unusual and some of the most beautiful places in the country. Imagine climbing 630 steps to reach a garden, or driving through nine kilometres of forest land in Assam to arrive at the estate, or riding on a ferry to reach the farthest corner of the country to find a tea that's truly sublime. Often, during the season, before dawn breaks, we set out from Siliguri. Most of the town is still asleep as we make our way towards the hills. Twenty minutes later, we are surrounded by nature - tall pine trees, rhododendrons, and, of course, the familiar swathes of green tea bushes. As the sun lights up the landscape, host gardens would have set up their tasting tables. We sip and slurp, tasting flavours of the land - some floral, some earth - no two teas are ever the same. It's all in a day's work for us, and it only makes us appreciate our favourite drink better. Here are some of my favourite tea gardens and their finest teas.
In South India, the Nilgiris are an absolute treasure of vintage gardens and gorgeous landscapes. My favourite has to be the Adderley tea estate. The sholas or the rainforests in these hills of the Western Ghats are breathtakingly beautiful. A winding road up the ghats brings one to the Adderley gardens which is part of the Glendale estates. Adderley also plays host to visitors to the Glendale estates, in its wonderfully cosy estate bungalow.
Again, as with so many tea gardens, Adderley, too, has planted clonal bushes - here, it's the CR6017 clones that bring a flavorful complexity to the teas. We especially look forward to the winter produce from here, when frost preserves and concentrates the flavours in the tea leaves, creating a unique and brilliantly flavoured tea. The Adderley Winter Frost Black Tea is priced at Rs16,750 for a kilo.