The Indian province of Assam: its tea is one of the international leaders

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The tea ceremony, in principle, historically belongs to the Chinese. It was they who shared this drink with the whole world. However, it is worth paying tribute to the British: this country spread the addiction to tea throughout the colonies of the former empire, infected its associates with love for it, popularized the drink among its neighbors and did a lot to improve it. Until now, Indian varieties are the most popular, among which is Assam tea.

Origin of tea

It owes its name to the name of the region, which is located in the river delta with a purely Indian nickname Brahmaputra. Now it is the largest area in the world where tea is cultivated. A significant advantage of the tea bushes of this area is their height: they grow up to 20 m, unlike their Chinese counterparts, whose height does not exceed four meters. The leaves of the plant are much larger if collected from a bush growing in the Assam region. Tea from them turns out beautifulreddish hue, although it is considered black. The leaves of the Indian bush are not as dense as the Chinese bush, due to which it is easier to give taste and aroma to the drink.

However, the British, who were then the masters of India, did not stop at cultivating a wild plant: they long and hard crossed it with "relatives" of Chinese origin, experimented with the agrotechnical processing of plantations, harvesting methods and methods of brewing the finished product, achieving unique taste and smell qualities. And what made Assam world-famous as a result? Tea grown here.

Disputes about superiority

The popularity of this variety once gave rise to even jealous discussions about who gave the world assam tea. The official discoverer is the English military Robert Bruce, who discovered unique tea trees during his travels and brought seeds and seedlings to the ruler of the Assam region. This happened in 1823, which has since been considered the beginning of the history and distribution of the Assam tea variety. However, the major's brother named Charles claimed that it was he who first discovered amazing plants. Robert's next opponent was Charlton, a lieutenant, who claimed that in 1831 he sent samples of bushes to a society engaged in horticulture and agronomy. However, it was Robert the Bruce who entered history, and how things really were is shrouded in the darkness of the unknown.

Taste qualities and rules of consumption

Needsay, Indian tea "Assam" is one of the most famous and preferred varieties. Only it smells slightly, but quite noticeably, of m alt; only in it honey taste is combined with astringent astringency. And the red shade, quite unusual for black tea, is very attractive for a lover of such a drink. If you are a sincere connoisseur of tea diversity and want to enjoy the whole bouquet of aroma and taste from the bottom of your heart, try inhaling air immediately after each sip both through your nose and through your mouth. You will fully feel all the subtleties and hidden shades, including a barely noticeable menthol note.

If you do not want to delve into the nuances of preparing individual varieties of Assam tea, you can stick to the average. That is, put a couple of tablespoons of raw materials in a 300 ml teapot, pour boiling water and leave for five minutes. However, be aware that you can lose a lot in aroma and taste sensations.

Indian diversity

Note that assam-tea of the "native" production is very diverse in assortment. There is a fairly large number of variations within those teas that are produced in Assam. For example, "Kiyung TGFOPI" is still considered a new variety, which recently began to be grown on the Kiyung plantation. Its refined aroma and viscous taste is very different from what BLEND ST. TGFBOP has assam tea. It should be noted that it is a product of the second collection and consists of a mixture of several black teas. This allows you to brew a very strong drink with a very deep andrich taste. One of the most appreciated (and at the same time especially expensive) is Assam MOKALBARI. It has an increased content of tea tree buds (bush), due to which the taste of m alt and honey becomes more noticeable. But there are also varieties "Daisajan TGFOP", "Dinjan" and so on, and each of them has its own taste advantages. So a person who wants to find the most suitable assam tea for him will be forced to try quite a few drinks before choosing his own.

Features of brewing individual varieties

Note that with the general similarity of different varieties, to get the best taste, you should listen to the manufacturer's recommendations. So, the same “Kiyung TGFOPI” is advised to brew for only a couple of minutes, and boiling water should cool down to 90 degrees. And MOKALBARI is recommended to brew with even cooler water, but it needs to be insisted longer. So black tea "Assam" produced by different varieties has its own subtleties when used.

Kazakh take on Assam tea

India with this Central Asian country has different views on the "right" tea. Kazakhs, in particular, are not too inclined to drink a drink made from leafy raw materials. Therefore, Assam tea from Kazakhstan mainly comes in granular form. Since 2009, there has been a parallel Kazakh tea bag. For true drink aficionados, this is not a good substitute for Indian offerings, but Kazakh versions are much cheaper and more travel-friendly. Friendly territory offers"Assam" in the following variations: evening, morning, GOLD, green and fruity. All of these are packaged or granular packaging, which are quite cheap. However, if you are interested in real Assam tea, the price should not bother you. Raw materials simply have to be sheet, and the origin is Indian. But then you will have to pay from 240 to 700 rubles per 100 g - it depends on the variety. For Kazakh teas you will pay from 25 (!) to 150. Choose what you like best.