Assam
Assam
Assam is a province in north-eastern India and
has a tropical climate. Surrounded by Bangladesh, Burma, Bhutan, Tibet and
China, the only connection to the mother country India is a strip of land in the
northwest of this province. About half of the tea produced in India is grown
here: the largest tea growing region in the world. These strong and spicy teas
perform well with hard (calcareous) water and form the basis for several
classical black tea blends. Tea plants are cultivated in large tea gardens with
a cultivatable area of up to 1,000 hectares. There are about 2,000 plantations
in Assam.
Main Crops
Mid April - late
May
first flush These qualities are not economically
signifi cant for the European market. These teas are mostly aromatically fresh,
feature a light cup and are rather tart in character. For this reason they do
not meet the traditional Assam character.
Early June - Mid August
second flush Assam teas
from the second plucking period are of the largest relevance in terms of quality
and export business. These qualities are often very “coloured” (high portions of
tips), the infusion is mostly very dark and they have a typical strong, full,
spicy and malty character.