1719-1103 TCXEspresso

Assam Orthodox Tea

Assam's estates produce close to 507 million kg a year, making it the largest tea-growing region on earth. The orthodox leaf — rolled whole rather than cut — is the part of that we ship.

507M kg

produced a year

Botanical name: Camellia sinensis var. assamica
Known as: অসম চাহ
Origin: Brahmaputra valley
Harvest: March – November

The story

Origin26°45′ N

JorhatAssam

Assam94°13′ E

Tea estates in Assam collectively produce close to 507 million kilograms every year, which makes the state the world's largest tea-growing region. It produces both orthodox and CTC, and the two are different products sold to different buyers.

Orthodox processing keeps the leaf intact through rolling, which preserves the malt and the body Assam is bought for. CTC — crush, tear, curl — is faster and makes a stronger, quicker, cheaper cup, and most of Assam's volume goes that way. Orthodox is the minority and the premium.

Assam Orthodox carries a Geographical Indication. The terroir behind it is low altitude, rich loamy soil, heavy rainfall and a tropical climate — the opposite of Darjeeling on every variable, which is exactly why the two cups taste nothing alike.

[ Why here ]

JorhatAssam

The Brahmaputra floodplain: low, hot, wet and loamy, with rainfall that would drown a hill garden. The assamica leaf is bigger and coarser than the China bush, and it makes a heavier liquor.

Specification

GI registered

Assam Orthodox tea holds a Geographical Indication.

Measured