How often have you sat down to a good meal and it seemed incomplete without a dessert? Similarly, a repast of a mind-boggling menu may fizzle out like a damp squib unless the tea it offers is good. Tea ? the most common drink in the world next only to water ? is unmatched in its qualitative variety. A connoisseur of tea never fails to talk in glowing terms about good tea whenever he happens to taste it.

Assam tea is known for its fabulous blend of taste, liquor and color. If you prefer tea as an energizer, certainly the Assam variety would top the list. You will be amazed at the instantaneous effect of this quintessential brew. The first flush tea refreshes you with a rich and pleasurable aroma while the second flush produces the famous tippy tea having the most sought-after brew. The universally acclaimed black tea of Assam is a phenomenon with three varieties: orthodox, CTC (crush, tear and curl) and (CTC+orthodox)

Assam seems to be providentially ordained for tea-plantation. Earlier, tea bushes were a part of Assam's natural flora. Centuries ago, Robert Bruce ? a British adventurer, confirmed this in 1823. Lord Bentinck, the then Viceroy of India,?immediately seized upon the commercial viability of this indigenous plant. What followed was an epoch-making history of Assam. Significantly, the Assam Company was the first tea company in the world. On account of geopolitical remoteness, the rest of the world knew very little of Assam. But its tea is now a household name all over the world.

FIRST TEA EXPORT AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Assam tea was the first Indian tea to be exported. The consignment arrived in London on 23rd January, 1839 and it was put for auction on 10th February, 1839. Today, Guwahati has one of the largest tea-auction centers of the world. As for international relations, Assam has raised what seems like a resuscitating breeze in a teacup. The proposal for introducing goods train services from India to Pakistan has received a green signal from both the countries. Among the goods, it is the popularity of Assam tea which has the leading role behind the friendly pact.

Unless you visit tea gardens, you cannot get an idea of the sheer magnitude of an industry that produces our indispensable morning beverage. I am sure, as you visit a tea garden in Assam; your heart would leap up as Wordsworth's must have done when he saw his daffodils. The rippling greenery of tea gardens is a veritable feast to city-weary eyes.

LIFE IN TEA GARDENS

Most tea gardens look beautiful, and each tells a story. But beneath that seemingly tranquil surrounding, you can't miss the haunting loneliness that has become an inseparable part of the lives of their inhabitants. Considering the perks and the facilities which tea garden employees enjoy, their life seems enriched materialistically. Transcendentally too, it may be an ideal life because they share a close intimacy with verdant Nature. However, since normal interaction with hospitality of the residents becomes evident in their welcome and treatment to visitors.

And if you are a little keen, you can also enjoy a live demonstration of tea processing: withering, rolling, cutting, fermenting, and drying. People can gloat over the huge piles of tea-packets getting ready for both domestic and international markets and imagine enviously the cash registers ringing there. If only they knew the heart-wringing labor and the meticulous care that go into the making of tea. Undeniably a gift of nature, Assam tea is nurtured by its people. While the sun and moon, the earth, wind and mist team up like clockwork to produce these exquisite teas, the workers process them behind the scenes to perfection.

While in Assam, spend a day or two in a few of its tea estates. There are nearly 188 major tea estates in Assam managed by different private companies. As you return from there, you carry the moving impression that processing actual tea from raw tealeaves is like the uphill task of making a home out of the brick and mortar walls. If you miss this take-home message of the vibrantly committed life there, then maybe you are from another planet.

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