Indians love their tea, whether it's black, green, spiced, flavoured or topped with milk. Anywhere you are in India, rest assured that you will find a friendly neighbourhood tea stall in the vicinity. India is among the largest consumers, producers and exporters of tea in the world. Tea plantations thrive in areas where the rainfall is about 50 inches a year, on an average, at a suitable elevation of 1,500m in acidic soils. This makes the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia, India included, ideal spots for tea cultivation. Here are some places in India where you must head to if you are a tea connoisseur.

Darjeeling

This picturesque hill station nestled in the Himalayas in West Bengal is best known for its tea. With panoramic views of snow-capped mountains including Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world, Darjeeling has sprawling tea estates that produce some of the country's finest varieties of tea. It is believed that a civil surgeon from the Indian Medical Service, Dr Campbell smuggled tea seeds from China and planted them in the slopes of Darjeeling in the 1840s. Darjeeling white tea is a rare breed with a subtle flavor, while the oolong is milder than the Darjeeling black tea.

Jorhat

Jorhat district in the northeastern state of Assam is one of the largest producers of tea in the country. Assam tea is known for its colour and its weight and is commonly had as black tea. Unlike other tea varieties, the native tea plantations of Assam grow closer to the river basin of the Brahmaputra, one of the largest rivers in India, and is hence a lowland tea. Assam tea is said to have been brewed by the local tribesmen as early as the 1820s or so from a bush grown in the region. This was later examined and tested, and concluded to be a native tea variety. Jorhat has several tea gardens and it is also home to the world's oldest and largest tea experimental station.

Munnar

Located in the Western Ghats in southern state of Kerala, Munnar is a popular hill station thronged by tourists all year round. Known for its scenic beauty, Munnar is also tea central in this part of the country. With an elevation of about 5,200 ft, this pretty hill station has plenty of tea estates and gardens and a unique tea museum as well. Some of the top tea brands in the country, including Tata, have their tea estates in the terraced slopes of Munnar, and it continues to be an important trading centre.

Kotagiri

This hill station best known for its verdant tea plantations is located in the Nilgiri mountains in Tamil Nadu at an elevation of over 5,800 ft. The place boasts of pristine meadows, waterfalls and high altitude marshlands, and is a popular trekking point in the Nilgiris. The first ever tea plantation here is believed to have been set up by the daughter of a Scottish district collector called MD Cockburn. Thanks to the subtropical highland conditions here, the tea plantation flourished and soon expanded to cover over 30,000 acres.

Namchi

This pretty town in south Sikkim has perhaps the only tea garden in the entire state, yet it is worth visiting simply because it is also one of the most beautiful tea estates in the country. The Temi Tea Garden, as it is called, was set up by the government of Sikkim in 1969 and it produces several grades of organic tea, which is also exported to various countries. On a clear day, the tea garden offers magnificent unobstructed views of the Kanchenjunga mountain ranges.

If this is your cup of tea, then set up your Satara coffee table, grab a mug of masala chai and get transported to the tea estates of India.