Assam Tea - Five facts

Assam tea is unique, it's as simple as that!  It is known for its strength and malty flavour.  The best quality is grown in June, July and August, often referred to as the 'second flush'  It is often used by tea tasters to add depth and body to the blends they are creating.  Our English Breakfast, Bucks and Bungalow blends are two great examples of that.

Here are 5 facts about Assam Tea that you might not have known....

1)  Assam is a state in North East India and the mighty Brahmaputra river flows through it from East to West.  It's eastern border touches Myanmar and to the north lie Tibet and Bhutan.

2)  Because Assam is further east than much of the rest of India, it gets lighter earlier.  On many estates a new time zone was introduced, known as "Garden Time" to allow an extra hour of daylight in the working day.

3)  Assam tea is seasonal, unlike Kenya for example, so tea doesn't grow all year round.  For buyers this means sourcing the whole year's Assam requirement in one ago and for blenders this means planning very carefully how to use it. 

4)  When assessing quality, tea tasters will often squeeze out the infusions (wet leaf) of Assam tea onto the lids of their tasting cups.  A bright copper coloured infusion indicates good quality

5) Assam tea is famous for being thick and malty.  Some very specific clones deliver notes of raspberry jam, what tasters call "RJ".