Sunday, January 22, 2012

Sunday's Black Tea -- Assam Banaspaty

Assam Banaspaty

Bold, black and beautiful, this single estate tea is known as one of the stronger black teas with a rich, malty flavor. There is an old saying ``If your strength is your weakness, then Assam is your cup of tea.'' 212° 1 level teaspoon tea per 8 ounces water; steep for 3-5 minutes. Organic, single-estate and fair trade.

The Assam Valley lies about 120 miles east of Darjeeling in the northeast portion of India bordered by China, Burma and Bangladesh. This low-lying valley produces more than 1,500,000 pounds of tea annually. This region produces, for the most part, hearty, bold, malty teas, typical of what you might find in a breakfast blend or as the base for an Earl Grey.

The literal meaning of the word Assam is a bit of a mystery. One theory holds that it is based on the Indo-Aryan word Asama, meaning uneven, or unparalled; unique. Banaspaty literally means flora, fauna and trees. Assam’s tea plants have much larger leaves from their southern cousins and are therefore known for their strong malty flavor.

The Banaspaty garden is an organic, fair trade garden, in an area of Assam where tribal people are a majority. Organic pioneers are slowly rebuilding the fertility of this tea garden situated close to the Bramaputra river. Independent evaluation from the Fairtrade Foundation ensures that communities such as the Karbi Anglong tribal people really do benefit from clean drinking water, improved housing and better education.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment