It’s time for tea from the Nilgiris

In 2014, I went to the Nilgiris for the first time, to buy teas. Coming from Darjeeling, I realized that I had absolutely no idea what to expect from the Nilgiris. It was a hill station, like Darjeeling so there had to be some similarities, I thought. But about the teas itself, the general impression was that Nilgiris teas are used for tea bags or as a base to make blends. Less famous were their limited edition Winter Frost teas, which I later found to be so good it can give the Darjeeling a run for its money!

It was a short and busy trip but we brought back some teas that were especially good. I was keen to visit again. Although I travel to buy teas, a big part of my job is to actually get to know the place, the people and through them, their teas.

The rains were unexpectedly long and the season was delayed. It was only in January ‘16 that I was informed that winter had arrived and I could visit.

Without doubt, the terrain is different. Nilgiris are part of the rainforests or sholas that run along the entire western edge of south India. During the British rule, it was a colonial hill station, not too different from Darjeeling. Old bungalows still dot the landscape and boarding schools still attract students from across the country. Like Darjeeling, here too runs a “toy” train, chugging between Mettupalayam at the foothills and Coonoor. And like Darjeeling, there’s a Tiger Hill here as well.

Unlike Darjeeling and even Assam, the Nilgiris tea estates run a highly mechanized and efficient set-up. But what was stand out for me was to see how the workers worked and lived. The Indian tea industry is constantly under flak for its labor issues but here, one can actually see many positives.

Across the country, migrant workers from Orissa, Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Nepal now make up the workforce. And here too in the Nilgiris, even in the tea gardens, one sees fewer locals and more migrant labor. One man I met said his great grandfather arrived here from western Nepal 50 years ago. At the Glendale tea estate, the gatekeeper, Purna Bahadur Damai, was Nepali. On hearing that even my forefathers were  from Nepal, he was quite excited and rushed to bring his father to meet me; they rarely receive visitors from so far away, he said. At Parkside, I met a man who seemed surprised to find a Hindi-speaking visitor. They said they were happy here with both living and working conditions. Clearly, things in the Nilgiris were better than the north and the east, more stable, and definitely offering better working conditions.

I found too that estate management had kept their word. Where during the previous year, they had talked about improvements in some areas, I could see that things had been fixed. For example, last year we were told that the school and creche at Glendale tea estate would be renovated. And sure enough, it was there for us to see. The roads were better; in some places concrete block bricks had replaced the tar in order to allow flowing water to be retained by the soil. So many plantations have started growing herbs and peppers in empty patches.

Of course, visiting the plantation also offers an opportunity to stay in beautiful old bungalows. And in Nilgiris, I stayed in some of the best colonial bungalows in the country. The hospitality of the staff and the culinary skills of the chefs here made it memorable. It made the visit very pleasant. But the bungalow at Craigmore was, I confess, the best bungalow I have ever stayed in, across the country. They have retained the original structure, and managed a fantastic job of restoration and repairs. Unfortunately, we didn’t stop to take a photograph of this wonderful building. 

As I mentioned, the whole experience of procuring teas is not merely transactional for us. We get to know the people who are making these teas, understand their story, the local culture, and to try and understand the tea itself. In Glendale, I had I met some very interesting people in the industry, like Swaminathan, who has worked at Glendale for over 40 years and is an authority on Nilgiri teas, and Naresh who has recently opened a miniature tea factory where tourists can learn about tea production and taste teas. And there was young Mr Sidhu who looks like a B-school student on vacation but is an estate manager at Craigmore.

What was also interesting to see was that in one year, Teabox had become a familiar brand with the industry folks here. They seemed appreciative of what we are doing and happy to partner with us to sell their teas.

Veena-ji, Glendale’s marketing manager, spent two days, showing me around the town and the estate and thanks to her, I came across the indigenous tribal community of the Todas of Nilgiris, and the Badagas, another tribe from the region.

I realize that Nilgiris has much in common with Darjeeling but so much more that is uniquely its own. Perhaps nothing describes this better than the teas – the Nilgiris clones have evolved from their original chinary origins to suit the wetter terrain. True to their nature, the teas have absorbed the qualities of the land they grow in. Here, it’s of the flowers, of jasmine, of trees like the eucalyptus, and of spices like pepper – strong, fragrant, earthy, just like the place.

And of course, the task that had taken me there was accomplished too. I tasted some fine teas and have selected a range for our customers. They’ll be launched in less than two weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out on Teabox.

Photographs by Mahesh Bhat

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