Topic: Tea in Assam

Art Form: PPT (Painting)

by : T. S. Rohine
T. Atchaya Selvi
R. B. Varshaa
D. Sharon
D. Sahana
 Contents:
● Introduction
● History of Assam tea
● What legends said about Assam tea
● Geographic information of Assam tea
● Production and cultivation of Assam tea
● Types of Assam tea and about them
● Paintings regarding Tea in Assam
Introduction (why Assam is known as tea
country?):

● Assam is known as the tea country as it as it contributes

almost 15.6% to the world’s tea production.
● It has the largest tea forms and almost contributes 55%
to the total tea production in India.
● This industry is a source of income for thousands of
people in Assam and also plays a very important role in
the development of the country.
● According to the surveys, 13% of the population
depends on this industry for their livelihood.
History of Assam tea:
● The introduction of the Assam tea bush to Europe is
related to Robert Bruce, a Scottish adventurer, who
apparently encountered it in the year 1823. Bruce
reportedly found the plant growing "wild" in Assam
while trading in the region. Maniram Dewan directed
him to the local Singpho chief Bessa Gam.
● The state of Assam is the world's largest tea-growing region by production,
lying on either side of the Brahmaputra River, and bordering Bhutan,
Bangladesh, Myanmar and very close to China. This part of India
experiences high rainfall; during the monsoon period, as much as 250 to
300 mm (10 to 12 in) of rain per day. The daytime temperature rises to
about 36 °C (96.8 °F), creating greenhouse-like conditions of extreme
humidity and heat. This tropical climate contributes to Assam's unique
malty taste, a feature for which this tea is well known.
● Though Assam generally denotes the distinctive black teas from Assam, the
region produces smaller quantities of green(6 and white teas as well, with
their own distinctive characteristics. 7) Historically, Assam has been the
second commercial tea production region after southern China, the only
two regions in the world with native tea plants.
● While on a trade expedition through the Assam area with Singpho in 1823
Robert Bruce was introduced to a plant with which the Singpho and Khamti
people made beverages and food.
● Through his brother, Charles Alexander Bruce who was in Sadiya,
samples were sent to botanist Nathaniel Wallich who mistook it for
camellia kiss. 9l It was not until over a decade later that the Singpho's
plant would be recognized as being the same plant as the Camellia
sinensis growing in China, after Francis Jenkins and Andrew Charlton
responded to the request of the British East India Company's Tea
Committee for its agents to review prospects for establishing a source of
tea outside of China.
● Charles Bruce guided a team, including Nathaniel Wallich, William Griffith
and John McClelland, dispatched from the Tea Committee in 1836, to
review the plant in its natural growing conditions around Sadiya.
● That same year, two companies were incorporated to pursue the tea's
development in Assam: the Assam Tea Association in London and the
Bengal Tea Association in Kolkata, though they quickly amalgamated to
form the Assam Company.
● Despite early proponents such as Maniram Dewan, British-led
land reforms such as the Waste Lands Act to clear and
privatize plots of land for agricultural purposes, the Assam
Company struggled and was forced to reorganize in 1847.
Similarly, despite having access to a large source of
inexpensive labour, including tea-makers smuggled out of
China, indentured Indians, and refugees from famine-striken
areas, Assam at the time was a sparsely-populated, hot and
humid undeveloped area and many died of disease.
What legends said about Assam tea:

1.Chinese legend (emperor Shen Nung):

● According to the legend, emperor Shen Nung like to boil
water before drinking it so that it would be clean. That’s
what his servants did.
● One day a few leaves of the twigs burning under the pot
fell into the water giving it a very delicious taste. It is said
that they were tea leaves.
● Tea was first drunk in 2700 BC . “Tea”, “Chai” and “Chini”.
Words have their origin in China.
2. Indian legend Bodhidharma (an ancient Buddhist
ascetic):

● Bodhidharma had cut out his eyelids because he felt sleepy

during meditation.
● Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids.
● The leaves of these plants when put in hot water and drunk , it
banished sleep.
Geography about Assam tea:
The state of Assam is the world's largest tea-growing region by
production, lying on either side of the Brahmaputra River, and
bordering Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and very close to
China. This part of India experiences high rainfall; during the
monsoon period, as much as 250 to 300 mm (10 to 12 in) of
rain per day. The daytime temperature rises to about 36 °C
(96.8 °F), creating greenhouse-like conditions of extreme
humidity and heat. This tropical climate contributes to Assam's
unique malty taste, a feature for which this tea is well known.
Though Assam generally denotes the distinctive black teas from
Assam, the region produces smaller quantities of green and white
teas as well, with their own distinctive characteristics. Historically,
Assam has been the second commercial tea production region
after southern China, the only two regions in the world with native
tea plants.
The tea plant is grown in the lowlands of Assam, unlike Darjeelings
and Nilgiris, which are grown in the highlands. It is cultivated in the
valley of the Brahmaputra River, an area of clay soil rich in the
nutrients of the floodplain. The climate varies between a cool, arid
winter and a hot, humid rainy season—conditions ideal for growing
tea. Because of its long growing season and generous rainfall,
Assam is one of the most prolific tea-producing regions in the
world. Each year, the tea estates of Assam collectively yield
approximately 680.5 million kg (1,500 million pounds weight) of
tea.
Assam tea is generally harvested twice, in a "first flush" and a
"second flush". The first flush is picked during late March. The
second flush, harvested later, is the more prized "tippy tea",
named thus for the gold tips that appear on the leaves. This
second flush, tippy tea, is sweeter and more full-bodied and is
generally considered superior to the first flush tea. The leaves of
the Assam tea bush are dark green and glossy and fairly wide
compared to those of the Chinese tea plant. The bush produces
delicate white blossoms.
Production of Assam tea:

Now, the Assam Tea has its international reputation and

commands significant share in the world Tea Market. The
total area under tea cultivation in Assam is accounting for
more than half of the country’s total area under tea. Assam
alone produces more than half of India’s tea production. The
estimated annual average production of tea in Assam is
about 630- 700 million kg.
According to a recently conducted door to door survey by the
Industries & Commerce Department, some of the facts given
below:

(1) No and growth: Total numbers of small growers in 14 surveyed

districts of Brahmaputra Valley is 68,465. Maximum growth occurs
from 1996 to 2005. Growth in five upper Assam district is 64,519
(94%). Apart from upper Assam, the districts of Udalguri, Sonitpur
and Nagaon have seen remarkable.
(2) Distribution of Small Growers : Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of upper
Assam have remarkable numbers of small growers and their number is 37,755
(55%). Udalguri, Sonitpur, Nagaon and Karbi Anglong districts have in rising
trend. The rest of the districts other than upper Assam districts seem to be
steady.
(3) Land under Tea Cultivation by Small Tea Grower :Total area of land under
tea cultivation of small growers is 117 thousand acres. There is a shift from
paddy to tea in high lands. Small growers used patta land as well as other
Government land for tea cultivation.

(4) Patta land owned by Small Tea growers used in Tea Cultivation: 41% of
small growers cultivate tea on patta land ( 28723 nos) Baring Karbi-Anglong,
Sivasagar and Sonitpur, the tea cultivation in patta land is below 40%.

(5) Age profile of Tea bushes in small garden: 67% of tea bushes are below 10
years of age.Only 8% is above 15 years of age. Big gardens have purchased
major portion of their production due to young character of plant.

(6) Size of holding among small tea growers: 59717 small gardens have
holding size of less than 3 acres. only 380 small gardens have holding size of
15 acres.

(7) Production of Green Leaf : 400 million Kg of green leaf was produced by the
Small growers
Most of the currently operating tea estates in Assam are members of the Assam Branch of the Indian Tea Association (ABITA), which is the oldest and most
prominent body of tea producers of India.

Assam tea in a cup: There are between two and seven steps involved in the processing of fresh tea leaves, the addition or exclusion of any of these
stages results in a different type of tea. Each of these procedures is carried out in a climate-controlled facility to avoid spoilage due to excess moisture
and fluctuating temperatures.

Withering refers to the wilting of fresh green tea leaves. The purpose of withering is to reduce the moisture content in the leaves and to allow the flavor
compounds to develop. While it can be done outdoors, controlled withering usually takes place indoors. Freshly plucked leaves are laid out in a series of
troughs and subjected to hot air forced from underneath the troughs. During the course of withering, the moisture content in the leaf is reduced by about
30%, making the leaf look limp and soft enough for rolling. Additionally, the volatile compounds in the leaf, including the level of caffeine and the flavors,
begin to intensify. A short wither allows the leaves to retain a greenish appearance and grassy flavors while a longer wither darkens the leaf and
intensifies the aromatic compounds.

Fixing or “kill-green” refers to the process by which enzymatic browning of the wilted leaves is controlled through the application of heat. It is held that
the longer it takes to fix the leaves, the more aromatic the tea will be. Fixing is carried out via steaming, pan firing, baking or with the use of heated
tumblers. Application of steam heats the leaves more quickly than pan firing, as a result of which steamed teas taste ‘green’ and vegetal while the pan-
fired ones taste toasty. This procedure is carried out for green teas and yellow teas.

Oxidation results in the browning of the leaves and intensification of their flavor compounds. From the moment they are plucked, the cells within the tea
leaves are exposed to oxygen and the volatile compounds within them begin to undergo chemical reactions. It is at this stage that polyphenolic oxidase,
including theaflavin and thearubigin, begin to develop within the leaves. Theaflavins lend briskness and brightness to the tea while thearubigins offer
depth and fullness to the liquor that's produced. In order to bring out specific intensities in flavors, tea makers control the amount of oxidation the leaves
undergo. Controlled-oxidation is typically carried out in a large room where the temperature is maintained at 25–30 °C and humidity stands steady at 60–
70%. Here, withered and rolled leaves are spread out on long shelves and left to ferment for a fixed period of time, depending on the type of tea being
made. To halt or slow down oxidation, fermented leaves are moved to a panning trough where they are heated and then dried. Due to oxidation, the
leaves undergo a complete transformation and exhibit an aroma and taste profile that's completely different from the profile of the leaves that do not
undergo this process. Less oxidized teas tend to retain most of their green color and vegetal characteristics due to lower production of polyphenols. A
semi-oxidized leaf has a brown appearance and produces yellow-amber liquor. In a fully oxidized tea, amino acids and lipids break down completely,
turning the leaves blackish-brown. The flavors in such a tea are more brisk and imposing.
Types of Assam tea:

There are two primary of assam tea

Type-1 : orthodox
Type -2 : ctc
 1.ORTHODOX

.Orthodox Assam tea can further be divided into

many categories, depending on the leaf type.
Orthodox tea is made using traditional methods and
are considered of higher quality than tea made for tea
bags. However, that is not always the case, as the
final quality will depend on many factors – soil,
climate, plant, leaf type, harvesting time, processing
methods and much more…
 2. CTC
CTC or cut-tear-curl tea is a type of black tea where leaves are
formed into a small little pellets, like in Simple Chai tea. CTC is
not used for making other types, such as green, white, oolong,
pu’erh or yellow tea.CTC Assam tea will usually be stronger,
sharper, maltier and maybe astringent. This type of tea is
usually found in tea bags, rather than in loose leaf form.
However, it makes a wonderful base for chai teas, or for teas
that need to be strong to hold the aroma of spices, milk and
sugar.
 BENEFITS OF TWO TEAS
Benefits of Orthodox Tea Benefits of CTC Tea
. Antioxidants helps to neutralize damaged
cells which help us to look and feel better. . Helps to Fight Cancer
● Helps prevent Cardiovascular Disease
● Loose leaf Tea has been shown to . Helps to Cut Down Fat
have a calming effect on the body and
especially helps boost mental clarity. .Prevents Heart Problems and
● Loose leaf teas retain the Authentic
Taste and are comparatively more rich Heart Attacks
in flavour and colour.
● Loose leaf teas are organically .Helps in Boosting Digestion
processed thus giving it an advantage
over the other in terms of quality
Paintings
Thank you