It looks like Tata Tea of India is pushing a campaign to get youngsters interested in the humble Chai tea as well as politics and voting!
It seems their using their tea campaign to stoke interest in social issues too in order to get the youth of India more involved in the community and country.
I wonder how that’d fair in the US or UK?
Vote Obama – get free Chai.
Vote McCain – get free Oolong.
Have a jasmine – vote Tony Blair.
Hmmmm…
Assam
It’s been almost 12 months since my last introduction to teas from around the world but much has happened since then and I should now be able to continue the series with grace, regularity and consistency.
So lets get on with it and today I’ll be discussing Assam.
Assam Tea Located in India
Similarly with my previous post introducing Darjeeling this tea is from a region in north west India by the name of Assam (see map for details).
Flavour
Assam is a black tea which has a malty and full bodied texture with a strong flavour. It’s often the main component of Breakfast Teas due to its robust flavour and higher caffeine content.
A Little Known Fact
Assam tea was originally chewed by locals as well as drunk – although not as common since commercialisation.
Assam Born
It is the region of Assam along with China that were the cradles of traditional commercial tea production and so it has a long and prestigious history. The Assam cultivation industry sprang forth in 1838 when 350 lbs of tea were imported from there into London to be sold at the London India House. It was such a popular success that Charkes Bruce began clearance of jungle for the new tea plantations.
