The 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 tea addiction in all the colonies of the former empire, infected its comrades with love for it, popularized the drink from its neighbors and did much to improve it. Indian varieties are still the most popular, including assam tea.
Origin of tea
He owes his name to the name of the region, which is located in the delta of the river with the purely Indian nickname Brahmaputra. Now it is the largest square 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 the Chinese counterparts, whose growth does not exceed four meters. The leaves of the plant are much larger if collected from a bush growing in the Assam area. Tea from them turns out a beautiful reddish tint, although it is considered black. The leaves of the Indian bush are not as dense as the Chinese, which makes it easier to give taste and aroma to the drink.
However, the British, who were then the masters of India, did not stop cultivating a wild plant: they crossed it for a long time and “relatives” of Chinese origin, experimented with agrotechnical processing of plantations, methods of harvesting and methods of brewing the finished product, achieving unique taste and odor qualities. And what made Assam the world famous as a result? Tea that is grown here.
Championship disputes
The popularity of this variety gave rise to even jealous discussions on the topic of who gave the world assam tea. The English military Robert Bruce is considered the official discoverer . He 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 spread of the assam tea variety. However, a major brother named Charles claimed that he was the first to discover amazing plants. The next opponent of Robert was Charlton, a lieutenant who claimed that in 1831 he sent samples of bushes to a society engaged in gardening and agronomy. However, it was Robert Bruce who went down in history, and how things really were - is covered with a gloom of suspense.
Taste and consumption rules
I must say, Indian tea "Assam" - one of the most famous and preferred varieties. Only he smells slightly, but quite noticeably gives off malt; only in it is the honey flavor combined with astringent astringency. And a rather unusual red shade for black tea is very attractive for a lover of such a drink. If you are a sincere lover of tea variety and want to enjoy the whole bouquet of aroma and taste from the bottom of your heart, try to inhale the air immediately after each sip through your nose and mouth. You will feel all the subtleties and hidden shades in full, including a barely noticeable menthol note.
If you do not want to delve into the nuances of making certain varieties of Assam tea, you can stick to the average. That is, put in a 300 ml kettle a couple of tablespoons of raw materials, pour boiling water and leave for five minutes. However, note: you can lose a lot in aromatic and taste sensations.
Indian diversity
Note that the assam tea of the “native” production is very diverse in assortment. There are a fairly large number of variations precisely within those teas that are produced in Assam. For example, “Kiyung TGFOPI” is considered to be a new variety that was recently grown on the Kiyung plantation. Its sophisticated aroma and viscous taste is very different from what BLEND ST.TGFBOP assam tea has. 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 and rich 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 malt and honey becomes more noticeable. But there are also varieties "Daisadjan TGFOP", "Djanjan" 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 be forced to try quite a few drinks before choosing his own.
Features brewing individual varieties
Note that with the general similarity of the different varieties, to get the best taste it is worth listening to the recommendations of the manufacturer. So, the same “Kiyung TGFOPI” is advised to brew only a couple of minutes, and boiling water should cool to 90 degrees. And MOKALBARI is recommended to brew even cooler water, but it needs to be insisted longer. So black tea "Assam" produced in different varieties has its own subtleties when consumed.
Kazakh view of Assam tea
India with this Central Asian country has different views on the "right" tea. Kazakhs, in particular, are not too prone to consume a drink from leaf raw materials. Therefore, Assam tea from Kazakhstan mainly comes in granular form. Since 2009, there has been a parallel Kazakh packaged tea. For true fans of the drink, this is not a good substitute for Indian offerings, but Kazakh options are much cheaper and more convenient for traveling. Friendly territory offers "Assam" in the following variations: evening, morning, GOLD, green and fruit. All this is packaged or granular packaging, which are quite cheap. However, if you are interested in real Assam tea, the price should not confuse you. Raw materials simply must be sheet, and the origin is Indian. But then you have to lay out 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.