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

Tea ceremony, in principle, historically belongs to the Chinese. They shared this drink with the whole world. However, it is worth paying tribute to the British: this country spread the passion for tea in all the colonies of the former empire, infected his friends with love for him, popularized the drink from neighbors and did much to improve it. Until now, the most popular Indian varieties, including Assam-tea.

Origin of tea

His name is due to the name of the region, which is in the delta of the river with a purely Indian moniker Brahmaputra. Now this is the largest area in the world where tea is cultivated. A significant advantage of tea shrubs in this area is their height: they grow as much as 20 m, unlike the Chinese counterparts, whose growth does not exceed four meters. The leaves of the plant are much larger, if collected from a bush that grows in the Assam area. Tea from them turns out a beautiful reddish shade, although it is considered black. The leaves of the Indian bush are not as dense as the Chinese, due to which it is easier to give into the drink taste and aroma.

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

Disputes about the championship

The popularity of this variety gave rise in due time even to jealous discussions on the topic of who gave the world Assam tea. The official pioneer is British military Robert Bruce, who discovered unique tea trees during his travels and brought seeds and bushes to the ruler of the Assam region. It happened in 1823, which since then is considered the beginning of the history and spread of the Assam-tea variety. However, the brother of a major named Charles claimed that it was he who first discovered the amazing plants. The next opponent of Robert was Charlton, a lieutenant, who assured that in 1831 he sent samples of bushes to a society engaged in horticulture and agronomy. However, it was Robert Bruce who entered the story , and how it really was - is covered in the darkness of the unknown.

Taste and consumption rules

I must say, Indian tea "Assam" - one of the most famous and preferred varieties. Only his smell is slightly, but quite noticeably gives off malt; Only in it honey flavor is combined with astringent astringency. Yes, and quite unusual for black tea, a red tint is very attractive for a lover of such a drink. If you are a sincere connoisseur of tea variety and want from the heart to enjoy the whole bouquet of flavor and taste, try after each sip to breathe in air at once and through the nose, and through the mouth. All the subtleties and hidden shades you will feel to the full, including a barely noticeable menthol note.

If you do not want to delve into the nuances of preparing some varieties of Assam tea, you can stick to the average. That is, put in a kettle for 300 ml a couple of spoons of raw materials, pour boiling water and insist for five minutes. However, note: you can lose a lot in the aromatic and taste sensations.

Indian diversity

Note that Assam-tea is exactly "native" production is very diverse in the range. There is a sufficiently large number of variations just inside the teas that are produced in Assam. For example, "Kyung TGFOPI" is considered to be still a new variety, which was recently grown on the Kyung plantation. His delicate aroma and viscous taste is quite different from what the assortment of BLEND ST.TGFBOP has. It should be noted, is the 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 and rich taste. One of the most valued (and at the same time especially expensive) is Assam MOKALBARI. It has a high content of buds of tea tree (bush), due to which the taste of malt and honey becomes more palpable. But there are still varieties of "Daisadzhan TGFOP", "Dinzhan" and so on, and each of them has its own taste advantages. So a person who wants to find the most suitable assam-tea, will have to try a lot of drinks before he chooses his own.

Features of brewing of separate grades

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

Kazakh view on Assam tea

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