Darjeeling tea
In the 19th century when the war with China happened, The British did not want to depend on teas imported from China, they developed the Darjeeling tea region since 1841. Darjeeling is the name of a district from India. Darjeeling tea is usually made from Camellia sinensis var. sinensis with large leaves. And until now, Darjeeling black tea is ranked as one of the most popular black teas in the world.
Darjeeling tea harvest seasons:
- Spring - from late February to late April, mainly consists of young shoots, which are kept from green to brown in color. Brewing for 2 to 3 minutes in 95 degree C, it will smell like honey and peach with a light yellow color.
- Summer - is the largest harvest in a year, from May to June, The small, darker brown leaves have a stronger flavor, and taste likes many fruit flavors. Brewing for 3-5 minutes in 95 degree C.
- Autumn - from middle of July to September, the tea leaves grow faster but the flavor is easily lost because of the heavy rainfall in this period.
- Winter - from October to middle of November, the tea leaves are bigger, rich and finely flavor like ripe fruits.
Assam tea
In 1823 Major Robert Bruce - a Scottish found a plant growing "wild" in the Assam region, India. The stem is toughness, it has a malty flavor and bright, rich color. He planned to send samples to test the plant's chemical properties. However, shortly after he passed away. In 1830, Charles - Bruce's brother, sent the Assam tea bush to the Calcuta botanical garden for examination, and determined the name of this plant is Camellia sinensis var asamica.
The Assam tea region is located on the fertile valley of the Brahmaputra, and borders Bangladesh and Myanmar, a region with heavy rainfall and a tropical climate, not much higher than sea level rise.
Assam tea contains many antioxidants such as theaflavins, thearubigins and catechins that help reduce inflammation and inhibit certain enzymes that cause Alzheimer's disease. However, Assam tea contains high levels of caffeine and tannin, which are not suitable for pregnant women and people with cardiovascular problems.
