Assam Tea and CTC Method
What is Assam Tea ?
- During a hunting trip, Major Robert Bruce discovered the "thea assamica" plant growing wild on the side of the road that smelled like a combination of "bread and butter". In 1823, Major Robert Bruce developed the largest tea growing area between Assam and Burma and the first batches were auctioned off at the London Tea Exchange.
- The Assam tea region is located in the fertile Brahmaputra valley in northeastern India, which produces strong, malty qualities. About 200 km east of the Darjeeling tea region. India's largest producer of tea.
- With the subtropical conditions of the tea region, tea is harvested year-round, but the best quality tea is harvested from late June to early August.
- The tea from the Assam region is strong and dark in color. Also great when used with milk or sweeteners. Good morning tea.
- Tea leaves can be brewed several times.
What is the CTC method?
- CTC is the official method in the history of Assam tea. Black tea is CTC stands for Crushing, Tearing, and Curling. From green leaves, withered and torn using a CTC machine. Then the stem and leaf veins will be removed, leaving the remaining leaves to be incubated for fermentation. This method produces fan-shaped tea leaves.
Darjeeling FTGFOP-1 Tea
- The finest tea from the first spring harvest of the autonomous Darjeeling region in India.
- Darjeeling is located in a high mountainous region near the border of Nepal. Darjeeling is one of the world's oldest known tea varieties.
- For FTGFOP-1 top quality, only the top two leaves of the tea bush are picked. The leaves retain their beautiful shape very well.
Ceylon FOP Tea
- Ceylon (Sri Lanka) produces tea all year round, only black tea.
- The most prestigious qualities are produced on mountainous plantations that reach up to 2,000 meters in height.
- The taste is strong, even slightly pungent. Aromatic tea from the Uva region. Color copper brown. Harvest season June-August. Tea leaves can be brewed several times.
- Brewing time 2-3 minutes. Brewing temperature 80-95 degree C. Dosage 1 teaspoon per cup, about 10g per liter.
Earl Grey Tea
- Earl Grey is one of the best known and popular teas in the world.
- Black tea mixed according to the original recipe, with 80% Assam tea and 20% Ceylon tea. In addition, bergamot oil. Dark and rich tea.
- Brewing time 2-3 minutes. Brewing temperature 90-95 degree C. Dosage 1 teaspoon per cup, about 10g per liter.
Pu Erh tea
- The tea was first produced in Yunnan province, China from ancient tea leaves of good quality, and it could be preserved for a long time. During storage, the tea continues to ferment to become even darker in color and full of flavor.
- Pu-erh tea has a sparkling golden-brown color and sweet tea flavor that becomes richer by the time.
Jasmine Tea
- In the moonlight is the best time to freshly pick jasmine blossoms, then they were blended with warm Pouchong leaves to generate finely flavour. The released cup has light orange and tender flavour.
- Drinking Jasmine tea helps improve metabolism, and thus it may help in weight loss.
- Brewing time 2-4 minutes. Brewing temperature 80 degree C. Dosage 1 teaspoon per cup, about 10g per liter.
Sencha Tea
Chinese Sencha
- Large leaf green aromatic tea. It is characterized by a light, fine and grassy character.
- Brewing time 2-3 minutes. Brewing temperature 70-80 degree C. Dosage 1 teaspoon per cup, about 10g per liter.
Japanese Sencha
- High-quality Japanese Sencha with an aromatic and balanced taste. The color of the tea is quite bright and pure green. When steeped for a longer time, the tangy quality of the tea becomes slightly more pronounced.
- Brewing time about 1-3 minutes. Brewing temperature 70-80 degree C. Dosage 1 teaspoon per cup, about 10g per liter.
Rooibos Tea
- Rooibos is a shrub (aspalatus linearis) that belongs to the legume family. The bush is originally from a relatively small area of South Africa, the Clanwilliam mountain region, later it has spread as a result of systematic cultivation to a large area in southern Africa.
- Rooibos produces a crop about two years after planting. The bush naturally produces a crop for about five years.
- The rooibos plant thrives in sandy, acidic and nutrient-poor soil, where hardly any other plant would thrive. Rooibos has developed a way to survive, it produces a substance called rhizoppin in its root nodules, which is a type of nutrient that the bush utilizes in its growth. The fungal mycelium growing in its root system uses potassium and phosphorus from food.
- The leaves that grow from the thin, stick-like tendrils of the bush are picked and used to make Rooibos tea. The leaf picking season lasts on average from December to May.
- The fermentation treatment after picking Rooibos leaves is similar to the treatment of black or Oolong tea.
- The leaves are cut and kneaded by rolling, which makes them wet and the enzymes start fermentation. After that, the leaves are dried on a large surface in the open air at a temperature of 30-40 degrees C for about three days, until the relative humidity of the leaf pulp drops below 10%.
- A separate processing step is straining and sterilizing the tea by steaming, which destroys any bacteria and thus creates a clean and consumer-safe product.
- The last stage of the production process is the final inspection.
- A sample is taken from the production batch under the supervision of the export inspection body, which is analyzed. After passing all the inspection points, the tea gets an export permit.
- During the twentieth century, Rooibos has become accepted as one of many useful plants - it has changed from a local wild plant to a cultivated field plant.
Rooibos tea and Health benefits
- Removes tension.
- Relieves colic pains and helps with diaper rash.
- Relieves allergic reactions - hay fever and asthma.
- Healing effect on skin problems - acne and calluses
- Relieves allergic reactions - hay fever and asthma.
- Its antioxidants reduce the adverse effects of free radicals in the body.
- Reduces insomnia.
- Calorie-free drink.
Herbal Infusion tea?
- To enhance the pure natural flavor, infusions are often used. Tea and infusion always go hand in hand.
- Infusion is the process of preparing drinks with herbal ingredients or tea. Herbal tea blends are made from flowers, herbs and fruits to diversify their flavors.
- Usually, herbal tea is made from rose petals, mountain rose is considered popular.
How to Make Infused Tea
- Take about 15-20 grams of herbal tea into a tea strainer placed in the teapot.
- Heat water to boiling point (usually 100 degrees Celsius). Then pour hot water into the tea pot, let it cover and cover to enhance the flavor of the tea for about 15 minutes - 20 minutes so that the essential oils can fully absorb the flavor from the tea and release a great infused teacup.
- Nature honey could be added without altering the flavour.
Some benefit from Herbal Infusion Tea
- Reduce Stress and Relax
- Improves Immune System
- Reduces Pain and Soreness
- Reduce Chronic Diseases
- Improves Digestive System
- Herbal Tea is Calorie- Free
