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Tarajulie (Assam) Tea

CUP CHARACTERISTICS: A thick full-bodied tea with good malty flavour. A good all day self-drinker.

INGREDIENTS: Black tea.

ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL: Very High

CAFFEINE LEVEL: Medium

INFORMATION:
To give you an idea of how long they've been making tea on Tarajulie Estate, consider the following. The year Tarajulie was first planted also saw the publishing of edition one of the Oxford English Dictionary, completion of the Washington Monument and the birth of Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States - 1884 - it's been a while. Tarajulie is an exceptionally picturesque estate, nestled between the Gabharu River to the West and the Dipota River to the East. To this day, the jungle surrounding the Estate is as wild and untamed as it was when the first planters sat back with a newspaper to read that the French artist Gustave Doré had died the year before. (Gustave died in 1883. Yes! It took months and months for news and mail to reach Assam's early planters.

The Estate spreads out over approximately 699 hectares divided by two divisions, Tara and Julie. The divisions get their names from two 6 hectare lakes contained within their boundaries. Of Tarajulie's total land area, 503 hectares are under tea with production divided between CTC (Cut Tear & Curl) and Orthodox teas. Living on the Estate is a workforce of approximately 1065 people and their immediate, and in many cases, extended families. Over the years, as the Estate has grown, many of these families have grown with it, in some cases dating back all the way to the turn of the last century. Thankfully, conditions on the Estate are considerably better than they were in 1884. Everyone living on Tarajulie has access to an excellent standard of health care, education and housing. As well, land that is not under tea is in many cases given to the workers for the growing of their own crops.

So, how's the tea? Well, let's say that the men who trail-blazed their way up the Brahmaputra to plant the first bushes, would be beaming with pride at the legacy they've left behind. Tarajulie FBOP 2nd flush offers a yellowish bright liquor with an fabulously robust cup and deep malt character - an exceptional tea. Eleanor Roosevelt would have loved it. (She was also born in 1884.)

IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE: 100ºC/212ºF

HOT BREWING METHOD:
Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz / 200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea).

ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher): (To Make 1 Liter/Quart):
Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea or 6 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the tea bags. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water. (Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about.)