What is high-mountain tea valued for?

Nowadays, advanced agricultural technologies allow to grow tea in many areas of the world. However, as before, the tastiest kinds are cultivated in highlands. It is because alpine conditions are ideal for tea bushes, as they are created by the best agronomist of the world – the mother nature.

Though tea bushes can be harvested several times a year when grown in favorable conditions, such harvests differ greatly by their quality. Strange as it sounds, but the most expensive and aromatic tea is collected in quite unfavorable conditions – when the tea leaves grow slowly, and extractive substance are accumulated in higher concentrations. That is why depending on the season, one and the same plantation can harvest moderate quantities of high-quality leaves, or abundant volumes of low-grade tea. It is interesting to know that in Japan, where tea is especially respected, very few highland types of tea are grown because of the lack of proper land.

On the other hand, good tea is collected in the mountains of China, Ceylon and India. The best Sri Lanka tea is grown in the summer, on the mountain plantations in the eastern part of the island. The spring harvest is abundant but the quality is rather low. In Ceylon, there are three main kinds of tea: high-grown tea (grown at elevations of 1,200 m above sea level and higher), mid or medium-grown tea (between 600 and 1,200 m above sea level), and low-grown tea (grown at elevations of 600 m above sea level or lower).

The world’s highest tea plantation is situated in an area called Nuwara Eliya next to Sri Lanka’s highest mountain, Pidurutalagala, at the height of 1,400 to 2,400 meters above sea level.

Tea is harvested all year round, but the best yield comes January to March. In this region, leaves are picked at dawn – this is where they retain the best freshness and can express it in the brewing. Sometimes the tea from Nuwara Eliya is referred to as the champagne of tea – as well as some other kinds of tea grown in Darjeeling district in the north of India.

These plantations are situated at the elevation of 750-2000m above sea level. Only tea produced by certified tea plantations in India can be sold as Darjeeling. It gives a special golden brew, with a bit of roughness in its taste and delicate aroma.

Meanwhile, in China premium tea is usually received from leaves collected in spring. However, sometimes it depends on a specific area and kind of tea: the range of Chinese tea is incredibly varied.

In India, premium varieties of tea are grown on the mountain slopes that can be quite steep (up to 70 degrees). The plantations are located in the terraces built round the slopes. Tea is collected manually by women only. Producers try to create top quality tea, that is, leaf tea without broken leaves.

Tea plantations in the mountains of Kenya grow especially aromatic and tasty kind of tea. First seedlings were brought there in 1903, and the tea industry in Kenya has been developing ever since. Main plantations are concentrated near the city of Nairobi and on the highlands near Lake Victoria. Kenyan tea is characterized by special strong taste, rich red-and- gold color and a distinct aroma.