ADDERLEY

In South India, the Nilgiris are an absolute treasure of vintage gardens and gorgeous landscapes. My favourite has to be the Adderley tea estate. The sholas or the rainforests in these hills of the Western Ghats are breathtakingly beautiful. A winding road up the ghats brings one to the Adderley gardens which is part of the Glendale estates. Adderley also plays host to visitors to the Glendale estates, in its wonderfully cosy estate bungalow.

Again, as with so many tea gardens, Adderley, too, has planted clonal bushes – here, it’s the CR6017 clones that bring a flavorful complexity to the teas. We especially look forward to the winter produce from here, when frost preserves and concentrates the flavours in the tea leaves, creating a unique and brilliantly flavoured tea. The Adderley Winter Frost Black Tea is priced at ` 16,750 for a kilo. ~