Time for tea: How the provenance and flavour of our favourite drink changes from India to China

We happily talk about the terroir of wine, so why not tea? The growing regions around the world vary dramatically, says Emilie Holmes, who fights the case for breaking away from labels like ‘English Breakfast’

China is long thought to be the birthplace of tea (iStock)

When we talk about wine, we are well versed in the nuances that the grape-producing region bring to the glass.

Winemakers and buyers alike speak knowledgeably and enthusiastically about terroir – the subtle variations in geology, slope, altitude and climate – and its impact on the product. Why should it be any different when the product is tea rather than grapes?

Part of the reason we’re unaware of the link between provenance and tea is because the origins have been long hidden behind blends.

The label of an English Breakfast tea, for example, often promises body and strength, but offers little or no information about what the component ingredients are and what they do to give the blend its characteristics.

And, understandably, the bigger tea companies have focused on providing their customers with a consistent favour, year on year, above all else.

They have therefore tweaked the blend “recipe” or balance of origins in order to smooth over the variations that different seasons or harvests inevitably bring. In fairness, it is also only recently that customers have shown real interest in the subject, following a wider trend towards knowing more about the provenance of food and drink.

Along with unique local traditions and production techniques, the geographical nuances of the region of origin are central to determining the flavour, aroma and key characteristics of any given tea.

This is what makes single-origin teas, just like single-origin coffee or chocolate, so exciting – each cup is a direct expression of the area in which those particular leaves were grown.

In order to navigate your way through a tea menu and know where your own preferences lie, it is essential to understand the key attributes of some of the world’s most important tea-growing regions.

China

By almost any measure China is the most important tea-growing region in the world. Covering the full spectrum of tea types, it is comfortably the largest producer in the world by annual volume; in fact only a few provinces – generally in the cold arid north bordering Mongolia – do not grow tea.

The history of tea consumption spans many centuries and China is widely believed to be the birthplace of tea. The terroir breadth of this vast country, from steep mountain slopes to ancient forests and fertile plains, means the range and variety of teas grown in China are numerous. Most famous, perhaps, for its myriad greens and oolongs, China also has a rich pedigree of black teas. Keemun and Yunnan are two of the best-known examples.

The best pickings tend to come from four regions: Jiangbei, Jiangnan, the southwest and the south coast.

The laborious job of picking tea leaves in India is mainly done by women (iStock)

Jiangnan

The region immediately south of the Yangtze River, from Shanghai south to the border with Vietnam, is responsible for the production of around two-thirds of all Chinese tea. It is a region where average temperatures are high, and most of the tea grown is produced in the mountains at altitudes that experience four very distinct seasons: plenty of rain in spring and summer, followed by dry autumns and winters.

This seasonality lends itself to a wonderfully diverse output in terms of the teas produced here. Of particular note are Dragon Well (or Long Jing), a handmade, wok-fried green tea which often tops the list as one of China’s so-called “10 famous teas”; Keemun (or Qimen), perhaps China’s most celebrated black tea; and Phoenix Honey Orchid (or Mi Lan Dan Cong), an exquisitely fragrant dark oolong picked from wild trees on Phoenix Mountain in Guangdong province.

Southwest

Despite variations in altitude, the southwest of China has a relatively stable climate and includes what is believed to be the birthplace of tea, Yunnan province. The speciality here is Puer tea, a style of fermented and compressed tea unique to this area, the best examples of which are found in the mountainous area of southern Yunnan, bordering both Myanmar and Laos.

Puer derives its flavour as much from the ageing process as it does from the terroir, with ancient tea trees growing here nourished by rich, organic soil. Teas from this area, when crafted with skill, can be wonderfully rich and earthy. Their particular truffle-like aroma is beloved by devotees of these unusual fermented teas. Another of China’s renowned black teas, Dianhong, or simply “Yunnan”, is also produced here, a full-bodied black tea with a nutty, even smoky finish.

South coast

Finally, the area on the southeast coast of mainland China boasts the country’s finest tea-growing conditions, thanks to a long growing season, cool temperatures and plenty of rain. Black, oolong and white teas are all produced here, with the local red clay giving oolongs, such as Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) and Wuyi Rock, their body and rich flavour.

India

Many tea lovers consider India to be the high church of black tea. Indian tea was first commercialised by the British in the early 19th century as an alternative to China to meet Britain’s insatiable demand for tea, which was driving up prices. India is now one of the largest tea producers in the world.

It has as many tea estates producing high-quality, “orthodox” tea as there are farms producing cut-tear-curl (CTC) type tea for mass-market tea bags. Indeed most estates produce both, with the latter sold daily via auction and still forming the bread and butter of their businesses.

India has three main growing areas: Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri, each with its own distinct terroir.

Darjeeling

As a remote part of West Bengal at the foot of the Himalayas, it is one of the highest tea-growing regions in the world and perhaps one of the most unique.

The area is characterised by vertiginous slopes, making picking an unenviable task. As a result, mass production is impossible here, with only the most dedicated and passionate farmers harvesting and producing the leaves that are revered the world over.

The altitude and the cold winds that blow south from the mountains keep the area cool and the tea growth slow, which in turn gives Darjeeling its complexity and unique “muscatel” or wine-like character.

Assam

By contrast, Assam is the single largest tea-producing region in the world. Nestled in the far northeastern corner of India, bordering Bhutan to the north, Assam has high humidity and exceptionally high rainfall.

Unlike the steeply sloped terraces of Darjeeling, estates here sit on flat plains around the winding Brahmaputra river. When it floods, this vast stretch of water gives the local soil a richness that is mirrored in the coppery liquors of the tea it nourishes. Much of Assam production is given over to CTC . Its part in an English Breakfast blend is what gives the cup its all-important colour and body. For more complex honey-sweet Assams, whole leaf “tippy” orthodox teas should be sought out, an abundance of tips or young leaf buds providing extra sweetness.

Nilgiri

Less well known than either Assam or Darjeeling, Niligiri, the tea-growing region on the southwestern tip of India, offers something different again and represents around a quarter of India’s production. The high elevation, high rainfall and high humidity of this lush jungle region give tea from the Nilgiri Mountains a bright, aromatic character more akin to a Ceylon tea than other Indian teas.

While the majority is still produced using CTC methods, the region also produces quality orthodox teas. Of particular interest is the so-called “frost tea”, tea from leaves picked in the winter months, immediately following a frost. The trauma of the cold temperature causes the plant to produce compounds as a defence mechanism, which encourage more sweetness in the leaf.

Extracted from ‘Good & Proper Tea’ by Emilie Holmes is published by Kyle Books, £16.99. Photography by Steven Joyce