Hi friends chai pilo

Assam Tea- I am sure most of you have heard about Assam Tea even if you are not from Assam. It is a  black tea produced in Assam. It is mainly manufactured from a small tree named Camellia sinensis, whose leaf buds are used to produce tea. This tea is known for its briskness, malty flavour, and strong, bright colour which separates itself from tea plants grown in other states of India or anywhere in the world. Moreover most of us might not know that Assam is the largest producer of tea in the world.

   The unique malty taste that it is known for is mainly because of the climatic condition of Assam. As this part of india receives high precipitation during the monsoons and along with the temperature of daytime it creates a greenhouse like conditions,making it a perfect condition for the plants to grow. A small quantity of green and white teas are also produced here with their own uniqueness.

  The plant was first identified when a Scottish Anventurer, Robert Bruce in 1823 found that the plant is growing wildly in Assam while he was trading in the region. Maniram Dewan one of the first people to establish tea gardens in Assam and an Assamese Nobleman took him to the local tribe Singpho's Chief Bessa Gam. When Robert saw that the people of the tribe are brewing tea from the leaves of the bush,he decided to examine the plant scientifically by taking samples of the leaves and the seeds with the help of Bessa Gam. But before he could execute his plan,Robert died before examining the plant.

 Soon in the 1830's Robert's brother Charles arranged some samples of leaves and seeds and sent it to the botanical garden of Calcutta for proper examination. When everything was done,it was clear that Robert was infact right about the plant which was classified as tea named Camellia sinensis var assamica, but it was  a different varietybfrom the Chinese version- Camellia sinensis var. sinensis.

The work of Robert and Charles turned the heads of British East India Company and Experts of Tea Committee were held to assess the scientific nature and commercial potential of Assam tea. The committee decided to adopt the Chinese methods of plantation and manufacturing which eventually led to importation of Chineae tea makers and seeds to replace the wild plant and methods of Assam. But to everyone's surprise when the process of replacement started, after a while a hybridized version of the Chinese and Assam tea plants proved to be more successful in the Assam's climate.

   The British asserted a market of Assam Tea in London and the feedbacks were very positive which led the East India Company to start the process of dispossession of forest land and agricultural land where the a major portion of the province by private capital to be transformed into tea plantations.

     Another interesting fact about the tea gardens of Assam is that it doesn't follow the Indian Standard Time(IST). The Bagantime(Tea Garden Time) is an hour ahead of IST. As Assam is in the east part of the country which means the sun rises earlier in the North Eastern States in comparison to other parts of the country for which the British introduced the Bagantime System.

Thats all about Assam tea guys. A major portion of the production is exported in Foreign Countries and it is one of the main source of income for the Local Government. Many thing have changed from the time the first tea garden was set up in Assam. But the one thing remained same till date,which is the beautiful view of the Tea Gardens and the unique taste of the World Famous Assam Tea.