Profile : Organic Assam (FBOP)
Loose - Organic - Estate Tea
March 12, 2019
CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Full bodied, lovely balanced astringency with jammy hints of malt and toast. A good stout Assam.
Ingredients: Black tea* *Organic Certified Organic by Pro-Cert Organic Systems
INGREDIENTS FROM: Assam
REGION(S): India
SHIPPING PORT(S): Calcutta
GROWING ALTITUDES: 500 - 1500 feet above sea level
GRADE(S): FBOP (Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe)
MANUFACTURE TYPE(S): Orthodox (Traditional leafy)
ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL: Very High
CAFFEINE LEVEL: Medium
VEGETARIAN: Yes
VEGAN: Yes
INFUSION: Bright and tending coppery
INFORMATION:
TGFOP,
FBOPF, Broken Leaf grades, Whole leaf grades, Orthodox manufacture, CTC
- over the years the grading of finished black tea has become a highly
refined and often bewildering process. Nowhere is this more so than in
the jungles of Assam in North Eastern India. Assam's plantations
produce in the range of 30 different commercially available grades, each
with their own distinct characteristics. Interestingly, the process of
grading tea is actually very simple and comes into play during the
final stage of production. This is sorting, when the dried finished
leaf is run through large sifters that separate the larger leaf
varieties from smaller ones the way grains of sand slipping through your
fingers leave behind larger stones. As we shall see, it took quite
some time to get from the wild untamed jungles of Assam to the refined
product you are about to enjoy.
In 1823, the East India Company, a
British firm in charge of developing commerce throughout Britain's
eastern empire, received word that wild tea plants were growing in
Assam. The evidence, hearsay from local tribal leaders, was not to be
confirmed until 1834. (Things moved slowly in the 19th century) In
that year, British planters, believing the wild variety wasn't refined
enough for commercial purposes tried unsuccessfully to grow tea bushes
using seeds from China. Over the next four years a man named Alexander
Bruce, a former lieutenant with the Royal Navy, began locating wild
plants and clearing the jungle around them to start plantations. This
proved successful and the first Assam tea made the London auction in
January 1839. During these early days, planters generally gave more
thought to clearing jungle by hand, fighting malaria, tigers and making
the arduous trek inland to the wild tea, than they did grading and
sorting their finished product. As such Assam teas were rather coarse
compared to the refinements of the present day.
Thanks to the
efforts of these early planters we're pleased to bring you this superb
organic FBOP - Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe. FBOP is a broken leaf grade
meaning it contains broken leaf pieces and some tips. The resulting
cup is bright and full bodied with deep malty notes and a slight hint of
fresh toast. One of Assam's finest offerings, we suggest adding a
splash of milk to help open the nuances of the cup.