Top 9 Indian Teas

Halmari Tea is a renowned tea producer from Assam, India, recognized for its premium-quality Assam black teas. Situated in the lush tea gardens of Assam, the estate has a rich history of over 100 years of tea cultivation and production.

Known for its focus on producing fine teas, Halmari Tea has earned a reputation among tea enthusiasts worldwide for its exquisite quality and exceptional flavor profiles. In addition to their traditional black teas, Halmari also produces flavored teas, blended teas, and Masala Chai.

These offerings allow tea drinkers to explore a variety of flavors and experiences, from spiced blends to smooth, aromatic orthodox teas. Their dedication to quality is reflected in every step of the production process, from cultivating the tea leaves to carefully processing them for the perfect cup.Expand

Jay Shree Tea & Industries Ltd. is one of India’s major tea producers, established on 27 October 1945 and today operating as part of the B. K.

Birla group. The company owns tea estates across several important tea-growing regions, including Darjeeling, Assam, Dooars, Cachar, South India, and East Africa.

Its portfolio is built around garden-origin teas, with a strong focus on Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri, green tea, white tea, and specialty blends. Jay Shree Tea is especially significant because it owns historic estates such as Puttabong, often described as one of the earliest tea gardens in Darjeeling.

The company combines plantation, manufacturing, wholesale supply, export, and direct consumer sales through its online platform. Its teas are positioned around origin, estate identity, freshness, and quality control from garden to cup.

Beyond traditional black teas, the brand also offers flavored teas, wellness blends, and gift packs for retail consumers. With decades of experience and a wide estate network, Jay Shree Tea remains an important name in Indian tea production and export.Expand

Makaibari Tea is a renowned tea producer located in the West Bengal, India, celebrated for its high-quality, organic teas. Established in 1859, Makaibari is the world's first tea factory and is recognized for its commitment to sustainable and eco-friendly farming practices.

The company produces a variety of exquisite teas, including black, white, green, and oolong teas, all crafted using traditional methods. Makaibari's unique approach to tea cultivation integrates organic farming with biodynamic practices, ensuring the preservation of the environment while delivering superior flavor profiles.

Known for its rich muscatel flavors and distinct aroma, Makaibari Tea offers a premium tea experience enjoyed by connoisseurs worldwide. In addition to producing top-tier teas, Makaibari is deeply involved in community welfare and supports local workers and their families.

The brand’s ethos centers around environmental stewardship and ethical labor practices.Expand

Vahdam Teas is a premium brand that brings the finest teas from India directly to your cup. Known for their commitment to quality, sustainability, and innovation, Vahdam offers a wide selection of handpicked teas that range from classic black and green teas to vibrant herbal infusions and chai blends.

Their teas are sourced from the top tea estates in India, ensuring freshness and exceptional flavor. Vahdam also places a strong emphasis on ethical sourcing, fair trade practices, and environmental responsibility, making every cup a mindful choice.

Whether you're a connoisseur or new to tea, Vahdam’s offerings are perfect for those who seek both indulgence and wellness in every sip.Expand

Three Clive Road is an Indian premium brand dedicated to handcrafted tea blends, combining the country’s rich tea tradition with a contemporary, design-driven approach. They focus on high-quality full-leaf teas enhanced with spices, dried fruits, herbs and floral elements, creating layered, aromatic blends aimed at consumers who appreciate expressive yet balanced flavors.

The brand is known for its elegant packaging and carefully curated gift sets, positioning tea as part of a refined lifestyle rather than a simple daily beverage. Their range includes seasonal collections, limited-edition blends and themed assortments, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, ingredient quality and support for local producers.

Three Clive Road thus represents a blend of heritage, craftsmanship and modern luxury within the world of specialty teas.Expand

Tea Trunk is an Indian specialty tea brand that has been crafting small-batch blends since 2013, using full-leaf teas and natural ingredients without artificial flavors or additives. Founded by Snigdha Manchanda, India’s first certified tea sommelier, the brand develops each blend with a minimalist, carefully curated approach informed by her training under Japanese tea masters.

Their portfolio includes black, green, white, oolong and herbal teas, along with functional blends designed for relaxation, immunity, detox and everyday wellness. Tea Trunk stands out for its modern, accessible approach to tea culture, offering loose-leaf teas, tea bags, gift sets and sampler packs, each accompanied by clear brewing guidelines.

Blending Indian tea heritage with contemporary design and online convenience, Tea Trunk makes high-quality tea approachable for a wide audience seeking an authentic yet uncomplicated tea-drinking experience.Expand

Glenburn Fine Tea is a brand that offers high-quality teas produced on plantations located in Darjeeling, India, and Tinsukia, Assam. This brand is known for its tea production tradition, passed down through generations, and the teas they offer reflect the richness of flavors and unique characteristics of these regions. Glenburn Fine Tea focuses on producing premium black, green, and white teas, carefully selected and produced using ecological and sustainable farming practices.

The plantations where the tea is grown are located at high altitudes, contributing to the specific taste that is mild, fruity, and aromatic. This brand provides tea enthusiasts with a unique experience through teas that are rich in flavor and have a wide range of aromas. Their teas often feature complex notes that range from subtle floral aromas to refreshing fruity tones.Expand

Rujani Tea is a premium tea brand from India that offers high-quality teas produced in various tea-growing regions across the country. The brand is known for its wide range of teas, including black, green, white, and specialty teas, all carefully selected to provide rich and aromatic flavors. Rujani Tea prides itself on its commitment to sustainable farming practices.

They work closely with local farmers to ensure that the tea is produced in an environmentally friendly way, adhering to fair trade principles and responsibility toward the environment. The tea is grown in regions with perfect climatic conditions, contributing to the unique flavors and characteristics of the product. Each type of tea offered by Rujani Tea is handpicked and carefully processed to preserve the freshness and high quality of the leaves.

The brand focuses on providing premium products with smooth, rich flavors and full aromas, making them ideal for all tea lovers.Expand

Goodricke Tea is a leading tea company based in India, renowned for its premium tea blends sourced from the lush estates of Darjeeling, Assam, and Dooars. With a rich history in tea production, Goodricke owns 29 tea gardens and factories across these regions, providing a wide range of black, green, organic, and white teas.

The company prides itself on producing single-estate, high-quality teas, with a focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing. Their Darjeeling teas are particularly celebrated for their muscatel notes and exceptional quality, while their Assam and Dooars teas are known for their robust and malty flavors.

Goodricke offers a variety of packaging options, from loose-leaf tea to convenient tea bags, ensuring there is something for every tea lover. Whether you're seeking a refined tea experience or a daily tea indulgence, Goodricke delivers an authentic and luxurious journey into the world of premium teas.Expand

Chai masala is an aromatic beverage originating from India. It is made with a combination of sweetened black tea and milk that is spiced with a masala mix—which typically includes cardamom, ground ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and black peppercorns. However, the choice and the exact proportion of spices often vary. Although there are several theories that claim otherwise, the origin of chai masala is mostly associated with the British tea trade. In the 19th century, the Chinese had a monopoly on the tea trade, and the British looked for other markets that would fulfill the high demand for black tea—which was a firm European favorite. Their quest brought them to India, where they started to set up tea plantations. It is believed that chai masala first appeared during that period, but it only became a popular option in the 20th century when the Indian Tea Association promoted tea breaks as a much-needed refreshment for workers and when tea became more affordable. In India, the drink is mainly prepared and sold at challah stalls, but modern interpretations of chai masala are enjoyed around the world. Expand

This prestigious tea was named after the Indian city of Darjeeling, the center of Bengali tea cultivation and once the starting point of a caravan route to Tibet. Even today this ancient city is still best known for the very best quality tea of the same name. The tea cultivation in the West Bengal Darjeeling district goes back to Englishman Arthur Campbell (1805-1874) who experimented with different types of tea in his private garden in the wider Darjeeling area. This led to establishing the Darjeeling Company in 1864 which was renamed in 1896 to Darjeeling Consolidated Tea Company. Nowadays, Darjeeling is the brand name for every tea variety coming from this region, be it green, white, yellow tea or oolong. In particular, Darjeeling tea usually goes by the description of a fermented tea, combining the properties of oolong and black tea but it is most commonly associated with black tea. Depending on the harvesting period, it is available in several varieties: First Flush, Second Flush, Monsoon and Autumnal Flush. Since Darjeeling has always been one of the more expensive teas whose rare blends can retail for up to $200 per kilogram, there are serious problems with counterfeiting and adultered blends. Every year about 40.000 tons of tea is sold worldwide as Darjeeling, while only 8.000 to 11.000 tons of the original tea is actually produced. To prevent this so-called Darjeeling piracy, the Tea Board of India was established in 1953 with the purpose of awarding seals, certifications and license numbers only to those whose blends are made with 100% pure Darjeeling tea.Expand

Assam is a type of Indian black tea made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis var. assamica. This tea is only produced in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam. In the past, Assam tea was mainly thought of as a mass-produced black tea, but artisanal-produced high-quality teas are becoming more prominent. Assam tea is distinguished for its strong earthy and malty flavor, though the final character largely depends on the harvesting cycle. The first harvests result in lighter, fruit-forward teas, and the second harvest will usually provide full-bodied and malty brews. The first harvest starts in March, while the second begins in May or June. The tea is also commonly used in breakfast blends such as Earl Grey or English Breakfast. Assam is one of the largest tea-producing areas in the world, and though the name is mainly used as a designation for black tea, white, oolong, and green tea styles are also produced. Black Assam tea can be paired with breakfast dishes, salmon, poultry, red meat, casseroles, Mexican fare, cheese, and desserts. It can also be a good pairing with dark chocolate. Expand

Cultivated and grown at the foot of the Himalayas for hundreds of years, in small family-owned tea gardens at the border between India, Kashmir and China where it seems time has stopped, the famous Kangra tea is either green or black tea produced in relatively small amounts and used mainly in blends, very often for the so-called Kashmiri chai. While Kangra green tea is light and fresh, with a touch of earthiness and nuts, Kangra black tea from the early spring harvest produces a bright, tangy cup and is somewhat reminiscent of first flush Darjeeling. Kangra teas taste fragrant and fresh with hints of earthiness, a little bitterness and an intense, long-lasting finish.Expand

Noon chai is a tea-based beverage that has its origins in Kashmir. It is made with green tea that is brewed and then mixed with a pinch of salt, baking soda, and optionally milk. Although it is not traditional, sugar can be used as a sweetener. This tea is distinguished for its pink hue—which is achieved with the addition of baking soda, and apart from the basic ingredients, it can also incorporate crushed nuts, herbs, or dried fruit. Noon chai is popular in many other regions that have a large Kashmir population. It is consumed on special occasions as well as a regular daily refreshment. Interestingly, the word noon refers to the Kashmiri expression for salt.Expand

Kahwah tea is a spiced green tea from Kashmir, prepared with green tea leaves, saffron, cardamom, and often almonds, known for its clear infusion and aromatic profile shaped by the region’s long-standing use of spices and high-altitude tea consumption. It developed in the Kashmir Valley through contact with Central Asian and Persian trade routes where merchants and travelers brought spices and green tea, and over time local households adopted a consistent method of brewing it in samovars that circulated across the region, especially in Srinagar and surrounding districts where spice availability made it a regular part of daily life. It is prepared by heating water with cardamom and saffron, occasionally adding cinnamon, then adding green tea leaves toward the end to avoid bitterness, after which the tea is strained and served with sliced almonds or crushed nuts; some families add a small amount of honey or sugar while others keep it unsweetened, and the samovar-based preparation uses glowing charcoal in a central chamber to maintain even heat for extended brewing sessions. Kahwah is commonly served during cold seasons, family gatherings, and social visits, and in some households it is offered in small cups that highlight the aroma of saffron while keeping the tea warm for longer than wide-mouthed vessels; the use of saffron makes it distinct among spiced teas since few regional green tea preparations rely on the ingredient as a standard component rather than an occasional addition. It is consumed throughout Kashmir and in Kashmiri communities living in other parts of India and abroad, often served alongside breads such as kulcha or with light snacks, and it pairs well with mildly sweet pastries, dried fruits, and simple biscuits that do not overpower the tea’s spice profile.Expand