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
Seven Color Tea plantations in the world, both in size and production. Traditionally, the Sylhet region is the most important tea-growing area in the country. Three out of the four districts in Sylhet Division are tea-producing districts: Maulvi Bazar, Habiganj and Sylhet. Srimangal, a town in Moulvibazar, is known as the tea capital of Bangladesh and is famous for being surrounded for miles around by hill slopes covered with tea gardens. Being located on hills and within dense forests, Srimangal experiences heavy rainfall and wet winters. As this is a desirable environment for excellent tea production, 38 tea plantations have been established here.