The British began to cultivate tea in India in 1835. Since then, tea has become an integral part of the Indian culture and economy, and local customs and traditions have emerged around the beloved Indian Chai.  

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Tea had become a popular beverage in England by the 18th century, so to meet the increase demand of the British, and break the chinese monoploy, the British East India Company (EIC) smuggled tea seeds and skilled workers from china and established tea gardens in the northern part of India. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the newly cultivated tea plants in Darjeeling and Assam were harvested and India began to supply tea to England and the other British Colonies.

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In the early 1900s Indian tea was mostly consumed by upper and middle class Indians, with the vast majority of tea being exported to the west. It wasn't until the advent of the CTC (crush, tear, curl) process in the 1950s that Indian tea became more affortable for the wider domestic market. 

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Today, India is one the world's largest tea producers and constitutes over 22% of the world's tea production. India produces a mixture of Orthodox and CTC black tea which are mostly consumed within the country to fullfil local demands.