Nilgiri tea is generally described as being a dark, intensely aromatic, fragrant and flavoured tea grown in the southern portion of the Western Ghats mountains of Southern India.

It is grown in the hills of the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, though there are numerous other tea-growing districts in South India as well, including Munnar and Central Travancore, further south in Kerala state.

Nilgiri tea plantations are represented by the Nilgiri Planters' Association, which is an organizational member of the United Planters Association of South India (UPASI), headquartered in Coonoor.

UPASI is the peak body representing plantation owners in South India. However, plantations only account for around 30% of tea production in Nilgiri District.

The vast majority of production is undertaken by small growers, who typically own less than one hectare each.[1] The majority of Nilgiri tea small growers are the Badagas, a local community of agriculturists