Visit to a Tea Estate in Assam

I grew up surrounded by tea estates and drinking fresh garden tea, but this recent visit to a tea estate, as an adult and a passionate food and drink writer, was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life.

The estate is called Koliabor Manor Tea Estate and we stayed one night at the lovely, colonial-style bungalow, which once belonged to a British Manager of the operation.

There were pictures of the Manager back in the 1950s along with his wife and children still hanging on the walls. ?A framed invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to a reception to mark her visit to Assam in 1960 also adorned the wall. A drinks cabinet displayed single malt whiskey, Captain Morgan Rum, Vodka, Gin and bottles of tonic water were all reminiscent of a British tea estate official.

The only difference was that all these bottles were empty! ?The staff there carefully dust and polish the bottles regularly and preserve them just the same way it would have been done during the occupancy of the bungalow all those years ago.

We were given a wonderful meal of chicken curry, rice, dhal, vegetables which were lightly spiced and plenty of pappadums, which usually are not part of a meal in an Indian household. ?The love of pappadums seems to be continuing in Britain to this day!

Next morning we were served a kind of Indian-British breakfast of ?omelettes, toasts, French Fries and aloo parathas (a flat bread filled with spiced potatoes). ?The staff there were very welcoming and obliging and looked after us extremely well. ?On waking up, the view of the Himalayas at a distance was out of this world!

On my way to the tea estate, I met a worker who was carrying a small amount of tender tea leaves in a bag made of newspapers. ?I stopped and asked him where he was taking it and the answer was ?the tender bud in the middle of the two leaves will be dried in the shad to make green tea for the Managing Director?. ? That is how a superior quality green tea is made as only the tender bud will do. ?Later that morning I visited the factory where the leaves picked in the morning are dried in a temperature-controlled room, weighed and packaged.

As you enter the room, the waft of fresh tea leaves immediately lets you know that the unmistakable fresh aroma can only be experienced from ?garden fresh tea!

I did not appreciate this fact when I was growing up in Assam, but after having different types tea around the world, I now know that no other tea can beat the beautiful aroma and taste of freshly brewed Assam tea.

We left the lovely Koliabor Manor (the Manager?s bungalow) and the tea estate and I will always cherish this memory and hope to return there again.

Source: http://www.mridula.co.uk/visit-to-a-tea-estate-in-assam/

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