The story of Assam Tea goes back to 1823 when a Scottish adventurer, Robert Bruce was on a trade visit to India in Rangpur. He noticed the Tea like plants and enquired about them, by a local dewan, he was directed to the local tribesmen. These tribesmen were experts at brewing tea from these plant leaves and that’s when Bruce decided to carry some samples of these tea leaves to get examined in labs but he could never see the classification of these leaves as he passed away soon.
But the story did not end there. Bruce’s brother Robert then sent them for proper examination in Calcutta’s lab and that’s when the leaves got classified as Camellia Sinensis and the variety was named Assamica.
The first company that started growing and harvesting Tea was Assam Tea Company in the year 1839. It expanded gradually and turned into 160 big tea gardens, owned by public companies and some private firms. And today we all know what place Assam Tea holds premium black tea online in India.
The Supportive Environment:
Located in the Northern Himalayas, this North-Eastern State is surrounded by Brahmaputra Plains and Deccan Plateau. This makes it one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world. It experiences heavy rainfall and its humid conditions provide the richest topography for some endangered species of flora and fauna to blossom. It’s fertile and provides rich loamy soil to the region, thus naturally perfect for Tea production.
Production of Tea in Assam:
The Assam Tea company dominated the production and cultivation of Assam Tea between the years 1840-60. Post that came to the boom in the production of the Assam Tea, the region became the most enterprising tea-production estate.
Today it’s one of the largest tea-producing areas in the world. The low altitude, loamy soil, and abundance of rainfall are thus adequate to produce the best loose-leaf teas. Only the ones that are grown and harvested in tea estates located in the Brahmaputra Valley are known as Assam Teas.
Harvested twice the first flush begins in March and goes till May and the second usually starts in June and gives rise to “tippy” teas. These “Tippy” teas are superior to the first flush as its fuller, sweeter, and have a lovely flavor to them.
The Grades of Tea produced in Assam:
Assam is famous for producing Orthodox and CTC ( Crush, Tear, and Curl) teas. The grades of Teas produced in Assam are Whole Leaf, Broken Leaf, Fannings, and Dust. Only the latter three can be produced through CTC and leg cut manufacturing.
What Assam Tea is popular for?
The black teas produced in Assam are known for their bold, strong, brisk, malty, and dark flavors. This makes it ideal for breakfast the world over. The most popular of all, the Irish and the English Breakfast teas are made up of Assam Black Tea. You can also buy antistress black tea online here.
To conclude we now know a bit of history about Assam tea and why it is loved so much. Next time when you sip an Assam tea, you will know the great legacy it holds not only to its tastes and flavor but also to its name. So, buy premium black tea online in India and taste the dark flavors of Assam directly from home.
