History of tea in India be the "norm", with China tea a minority taste. Until the 1970s and the rise of instant coffee, Indian tea had almost sole command of the hot drinks market. Its rivals were cocoa, coffee and savoury drinks such as Bovril and Oxo. In the early 1820s, the British East India Company began large-scale production of tea in Assam, India, of a tea variety traditionally brewed by the Singpho people. In 1826, the British East India Company took over the region from the Ahom kings through the Yandaboo Treaty. In 1837, the first English tea garden was established at Chabua in
History of tea Lipton, Tetley, Twinings and Typhoo. While India is the largest consumer of tea worldwide, the per-capita consumption of tea in India remains a modest 750 grams per person every year. Recently consumption of green tea has seen a great upsurge across the cities. Average growth in the consumption is assumed to be over 50%. One estimate suggest the market size has already crossed over INR 1400crore and will reach a 6000 crore in next few years. Top station, 41 km (1 Hour) from Munnar, is aptly named, as it is home to some of the highest tea plantations in India.