Good morning, dear tea friends! I’m enjoying another Nilgiri black tea in my cup on this almost spring, blue sky morning. It’s a blend of teas from that district in southern India and is called Nilgiri BOP, or Nilgiri Broken Orange Pekoe, meaning a broken leaf tea, as you can see in the picture above.
I have read that the majority of tea produced in the Nilgiri district in Tamil Nadu state in southern India is from small, independent growers. After the leaf is plucked, they then sell the leaf to the processing factories owned by the larger tea gardens, or plantations, as they are called. Over 50% of the tea produced is exported, mostly sold at auction.
I steeped the leaves for 3 1/2 minutes in boiling point (212F) water.
The steeping hasn’t changed the look of the leaf at all except for perhaps the beautiful blue sky reflections patched on the russet bits of leaf.
Their ideal climate allows for year-round plucking and processing, making a higher yielding crop than in Darjeeling. That said, the highest quality teas are produced during the cooler months – late November to mid February.
I have read that Nilgiri teas do not cloud when iced. Does anyone have any experience with that? I’ll have to try it.
As I lifted the infuser from my glass teapot, I was greeted by the aroma of warm sugar and toast with a hint of citrus.
The flavor is silky smooth and lightly sweet with notes of mellow toastiness and a whisper of tangy citrus and honey.
It would be fun to experiment and push the steeping time on this tea. How long do you brew it for?
It’s been a long, brutal winter here in New England. Here it is the middle of March and it was 13 degrees when I left for work yesterday morning. Ugh. But there’s hope for us….the huge piles of snow are slowly but surely diminishing, helped along by today’s 50 degree temps. I’m looking forward to getting outside for a walk and some deep breaths of fresh, warmer air.
Until the next time we share a cuppa, Happy Spring to all! I’ve heard whispers of some first flush teas on their way to us…
“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.” ~Proverb
Art and Tea 
This sounds absolutely heavenly! Enjoy that tea, and stay warm!
Thanks so much, you too!
Hi Karen, I’ve made many a pitcher of cold-brewed iced tea with the Nilgiri BOP & Java BOP. Neither cloud for me. Yes, I’m one of those who drink ice tea in winter. 😉 Moroccan Green Mint is wonderful too. Regards, Karen Z.
Thanks so much for sharing that, Karen!
PS: Thank you for your post on the Sweet Honey Black Tea. It was delicious. I took a sample pouch with me to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. It was unseasonably cold and rainy, but the tea warmed us and went perfectly with King Cake.