Nilgiri Tea

Fragrant South Indian — clear liquor, iced-tea grade

Nilgiri grows at 1,000 to 2,500 metres in the Blue Mountains of Tamil Nadu, and unlike the north-Indian districts it is plucked all year rather than in defined flushes, which makes it a dependable supply line rather than a seasonal one. The cup is fragrant and brisk with a clean, bright character and less astringency than Assam. Its distinguishing commercial property is clarity: Nilgiri stays clear when chilled where many black teas go cloudy, which is why it is the standard base for bottled and brewed iced tea and for ready-to-drink manufacture. Both orthodox and CTC are made, with orthodox graded on the FOP ladder and CTC on BP1, PF1 and dust. A speciality within the district is frost tea, plucked in the cold December-to-February window, which develops an unusually intense aroma and trades at a premium.

Buy Nilgiri where you need a clean, aromatic black tea that behaves predictably: iced tea and RTD manufacture, blending where a bright component is wanted without Assam's weight, flavoured and scented tea bases that need a neutral canvas, and year-round contracts that cannot depend on a single flush. Its all-year plucking is a genuine supply advantage for a packer running continuous production. Where it is not the right buy is any programme selling on dramatic character — Nilgiri is well-made and reliable rather than distinctive, and a speciality customer looking for muscatel or malt will find it unremarkable. That reliability is the point. CBIL brokers Nilgiri orthodox and CTC against estate mark, grade, taster assessment, moisture and ISO 3720 parameters, from the Coonoor and Coimbatore auctions or direct estate contracts, on FOB Cochin and Tuticorin, CFR and CIF terms.