Zoka Coffee

On both sides of the mighty Brahmaputra river, lie the rolling plains of the world’s largest tea growing area. The Assam region consistently produces more tea per acre than any tea producing region in the world. Tea bushes cover nearly 500000 acres giving the impression of a gigantic billiard table stretching as far as the eye can see. Around Assam’s verdant tea bushes lie India’s richest game reserves. Wild elephants, one-horned rhinos, swamp deer, wild buffalo and leopards are just some of the native wildlife in this area. And from this area grows nearly 600 million pounds of tea annually, yielding the strong, pungent, full bodied liquor that has made Assam world famous. Assam is the birthplace of India tea. In 1823, Englishman, Robert Bruce discovered Camellia Sinensis growing wild in this region. In 1839, the first eight chests of India tea were offered at the auction in London. All the gardens in the Assam region are virtually on the same plain with an altitude of approximately 500 feet. The alluvial soil distributed by the river and the climatic conditions of the area, lend themselves ideally to tea cultivation. The year with a heavy concentration of monsoon showers from August to mid- October, typically yield higher quality tea at higher volumes. January and February being the only dry months, cropping begins in early March and extends almost to mid-December. Assam leaves are characterized by an excessive amount of silvery pubescence called “tip.” The “tippy” Assam tea of both first and second flush produce top quality liquor with body and strength. Most of the teas manufactured in Assam will be transported by truck or railway to the auction houses in Calcutta, India for sale abroad.