Tagged: orthodox
The Second Flush, Certified
The second flush is Assam's prized harvest: the early-summer leaf, fuller and maltier than the spring crop and heavy with golden tip. Here is the tea year by the calendar, why the summer leaf is the good one, and what "malty" actually is, measured to the compound.
CTC vs Orthodox: Two Ways to Make Assam
Assam is processed two ways. CTC (crush, tear, curl) makes the brisk, strong granules behind most tea bags and builders' tea. Orthodox keeps the leaf whole for a more nuanced cup. Here is how they differ, why the chemistry diverges, and when to reach for each.
What the Name on an Assam Orthodox Tin Guarantees
When a tin says "Assam Orthodox," it is making a legal promise: real whole-leaf tea grown and rolled in the Brahmaputra valley. Here is exactly what that promise covers, and the one border where it stops.
Assam's Caffeine, By Weight and Measure
An average cup of black tea carries about 48 milligrams of caffeine, roughly half of what a cup of coffee holds, and Assam runs toward the strong end of that range. Here is the actual lab measure of Assam's leaf, orthodox against CTC, what changes the dose in your cup, and the 90 to 95 percent decaffeinated version Assam's own research institute has just built.
The Step That Makes or Mars Every Cup of Assam
Before a leaf is ever rolled or crushed, it spends 9 to 18 hours doing nothing but losing weight in a long metal trough. Here is what withering actually does to the leaf, why CTC and orthodox want it done to different degrees, and what a factory's wither percentage really measures.
Brewing Assam
The Authority's standing method for Assam: boiling water, a measured dose of leaf, and a few minutes left alone. This is the complete reference, covering water, leaf, time, milk, the second steep, CTC versus orthodox, and the test for a properly brisk cup.
Assam Tea Grades
A grade names the size of the made leaf and how much golden tip rides in it, not the flavor. The complete reference: how a tea is graded, the four sizes, the orthodox lettered alphabet, the CTC codes, and what a grade does and does not promise.
Assam Tea
The canonical reference on Assam tea: the malty, brisk, full-bodied black tea grown in the Brahmaputra valley of northeast India from Camellia sinensis var. assamica. What it is, where it grows, how it is made and graded, and where it ends up.