Grain of 22 finger millet types obtained from Southern and East Africa were analyzed to determine the influence of grain type on tannins, antioxidant properties, and tannin localization in the grain. Four grain types were creamy white and 18 were brown. A high proportion (80–100%) of kernels of all but two of the pigmented types stained black with the bleach test, while the light types did not stain black. There was a wide range of total phenolics, condensed tannin content, and antioxidant activity across the grain types. Light‐colored grain types had much lower total phenolics and tannins relative to the pigmented types, and types that stained black with the bleach test had much higher tannin content and much higher antioxidant activity. Light microscopy revealed that kernels that stained black with the bleach test and had high tannin content had a dark‐colored testa layer, indicating that the tannins were located in that layer as in sorghum. This is the first report that the bleach test can be used to detect tannin in finger millet types. The work demonstrates that occurrence of tannins in finger millet grain is a varietal property, as in sorghum.