Grown on the Brahmaputra plain, where heat and heavy rain push the bushes hard and give the leaf its weight. The cup is deep red-brown and unapologetically strong, malty underneath and brisk on top. Milk rounds it off without washing it out, and a little sugar brings the malt forward. Boiled with milk and spice it becomes proper chai. Use freshly boiled water and stop at four minutes, or the tannin takes over the malt.
Picked at the very start of the Darjeeling season. The cup is pale and light-bodied with a muscatel edge. Best drunk without milk, early in the day.
Rolled entirely from golden buds rather than leaf. The cup is smooth, honey-sweet and barely bitter. A gentle black tea for anyone who finds Assam too blunt.
The classic Chinese breakfast black, at a high grade. Cocoa and pine smoke over a dry, wine-like note. It takes milk without losing its character.
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