Loose Leaves - The Tea Story

For centuries China monopolised tea production and trade. The trade route either by land or sea came to be associated with the name 'cha' or 'te'. Catherine of Braganza a Portuguese princess is said to have popularised tea drinking in Britain. The Chinese monopoly in tea ended when Robert Fortune entered China and smuggled tea seeds plants and its manufacturing secrets out of China. Around 1822 Robert Bruce discovered the Assam variety of Camellia Sinensis Assamica which was more tolerant to warmer climatic conditions and helped spread tea plant cultivation in hot climatic areas worldwide._________________________________________________________________________ABOUT THE AUTHORAshil is a tea planter and taster with over twenty-five years of experience in plantations. After having worked in tea plantations of Dooars Terai Darjeeling and Kokrajhar he shifted for a time to the tea auction centre in Cochin in South India.He specialises in Black tea (CTC style) and green tea (steamed) types of tea production. Pursuing his tea interests further he has done tea tasting from IIPM Bangalore. He is currently in Bangalore.