Kangra tea facts for kids
Kangra tea is a special kind of tea that comes from the Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, India. People have been making both black tea and green tea in the beautiful Kangra Valley since the mid-1800s. Kangra tea is known for its unique taste and color. In 2005, it received a special status called "Geographical Indication," which means it's officially recognized as a product from this specific region.
How Kangra Tea Started
Tea was first grown in the Kangra area in the middle of the 19th century. In 1848, a study showed that the land was perfect for growing tea. So, a special type of tea plant called Camellia sinensis from China was planted all over the region.
The tea plants grew very well in Palampur and Dharamshala. By the 1880s, Kangra tea was thought to be better than tea from other places in India. It was even sold far away in places like Kabul and Central Asia. In 1882, a local newspaper called the Kangra District Gazette said Kangra tea was "superior to that produced in any other part of India." This special tea even won gold and silver medals at big international shows in London (1886) and Amsterdam (1895).
However, a big 1905 Kangra earthquake caused a lot of damage and many people died. This forced the British owners to sell their tea farms and leave the area. For many years after that, only small amounts of Kangra tea were made by the new owners.
In recent times, the amount of Kangra tea produced started to go down again. To help fix this, new research and growing methods are being used to make the tea popular once more. In 2012, a government minister, Anand Sharma, helped open a new office for the Tea Board of India in Palampur. This was a big step to bring Kangra tea back into the main tea industry of India.
What Makes Kangra Tea Special?
Kangra growers make both black tea and green tea. But about 90 percent of what they produce is black tea. As of 2015, there were 5,900 tea gardens in the area. These gardens cover about 2,312 hectares of land between Dharamsala, Shahpur, Palampur, Baijnath, and Jogindernagar. Together, they produce about 899,000 kilograms of tea every year.
Kangra tea is famous for its special color and taste. The black tea has a sweet taste that stays with you, while the green tea has a light, woody smell. These unique qualities come from the special land and weather conditions in the Kangra region. Because of this, it was given the "Geographical Indication" tag in 2005. This tag protects its name and shows it comes from this specific place.
The amazing flavor is what truly makes Kangra tea stand out. The Chinese tea plant type grown here makes a very light-colored tea. This is why Kangra does not produce "CTC" (crushed, torn, curled) tea, which is the most common type of tea in India.
Exploring Tea Tourism
Tea tourism is slowly becoming popular in and around Kangra. Many tea estates and factories in Palampur and Dharamsala now offer tours. You can visit the factories to see how tea is made. Some places even offer homestays, so you can live on a tea estate and learn more about the tea-making process. For example, the Dharmsala Tea Company offers guided tours of its factory and tea gardens, starting from its Mann Tea Estate. The Palampur Cooperative Tea Factory also offers factory tours and places to stay.
