Editing Assam tea (section)

{{short description|Black tea}}
{{Infobox tea
 | Tea_name            = Assam tea
 | Tea_type            = [[Black tea|Black]]
 | Tea_colour          = Black
 | Tea_image           = [[File:Assam-Tee SFTGFOP1.jpg|215px]]
 | Tea_origin          = [[Assam]], India
 | Tea_quick           = Brisk and malty with a bright colour.
}}
'''Assam tea''' is a [[black tea]] named after [[Assam]], India, the region of its production. It is manufactured specifically from the plant ''[[Camellia sinensis]]'' var. ''assamica'' (Masters).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tocklai.net/Activities/tea_class.aspx |archive-date=2012-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421021544/http://www.tocklai.net/Activities/tea_class.aspx |title=Tea Classification |publisher=Tea Research Association |place=Toklai |access-date=2009-03-25 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=530946 |series=ITI Standard Report Page |title=''Camellia sinensis'' var. ''assamica'' |access-date=2009-03-28 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Assam's people tried to plant the Chinese varieties in Assam soil but did not succeed.<ref>{{cite book |title=Science and Practice in Tea Culture |first=D.N., Dr. |last=Barua |publisher=TRA Pub. |page=509 |year=1989}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Chen, Jin |author2=Wang, Pingsheng |author3=Xia, Yongmei |author4=Xu, Mei |author5=Pei, Shengji |date=February 2005 |title=Genetic diversity and differentiation of ''Camellia sinensis'' L. (cultivated tea) and its wild relatives in Yunnan province of China, revealed by morphology, biochemistry and allozyme studies |journal=Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=41–52 |doi=10.1007/s10722-005-0285-1|s2cid=19378597 }}</ref> Assam tea is now mostly grown at or near sea level and is known for its body, briskness, malty flavour, and strong, bright colour. Assam teas, or blends containing Assam tea, are often sold as "breakfast" teas. For instance, [[Irish breakfast tea]], a maltier and stronger breakfast tea, consists of small-sized Assam tea leaves.<ref name=Campbell_1995>{{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Dawn |year=1995 |title=The Tea Book |page=203 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IS8XrKTH1BcC |via=Google Books |access-date=2 March 2013 |publisher=Pelican Publishing|isbn=9781455612796 }}</ref>

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&nbsp;mm (10 to 12&nbsp;in) of rain falls per day. The daytime temperature rises to about 36&nbsp;°C (96.8&nbsp;°F), creating greenhouse-like conditions of extreme humidity and heat. This [[tropical climate]] contributes to Assam tea's unique [[malt]]y 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 tea|green]]<ref name=Pettigrew2004>{{cite book |last=Pettigrew |first=Jane |year=2004 |title=The Tea Companion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s6bnNV_7SPEC |via=Google Books |access-date=2 March 2013 |publisher=Running Press |page=106|isbn=9780762421503 }}</ref> and [[white tea]]s as well, with their own distinctive characteristics.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://telegraphindia.com/1111229/jsp/northeast/story_14936801.jsp |newspaper=The Telegraph |first=Roopak |last=Goswami |title=Assam CTC fetches record price |date=2011-12-29 |df=dmy-all |access-date=2011-12-29 |archive-date=2017-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707064132/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1111229/jsp/northeast/story_14936801.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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 introduction of the Assam tea bush to Europe is related to [[Robert Bruce (tea planter)|Robert Bruce]], a [[Scotland|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 people|Singpho]] chief Bessa Gam.<ref name="Nitin1998">{{cite book | author=Nitin Aant Gokhale | title=The hot brew: the Assam tea industry's most turbulent decade, 1987–1997 | year = 1998 | publisher=Spectrum Publications | isbn=978-81-85319-82-7 | page = 4}}</ref> Bruce noticed local people (the Singhpos) brewing tea from the leaves of the bush and arranged with the local chiefs to provide him with samples of the leaves and seeds, which he planned to have scientifically examined. Robert Bruce died shortly thereafter, without having seen the plant properly classified. It was not until the early 1830s that Robert's brother, Charles, arranged for a few leaves from the Assam tea bush to be sent to the botanical gardens in Calcutta for proper examination. There, the plant was finally identified as a variety of tea, or ''Camellia sinensis'' var ''assamica'', but different from the Chinese version (''Camellia sinensis'' var. ''sinensis''). The indigenous Assam tea plant was first mentioned by a historian called Samuel Baidon who published ''Tea in Assam'' in 1877.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How was tea discovered in Assam |url=https://teaorb.com/en-us/blog/how-was-tea-discovered-in-assam |access-date=2022-08-31 |website=TEAORB |language=en}}</ref>