EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -In January he fulfilled one of his long held dreams on a walk into the jungles of Assam where he photographed an ancient wild forest of Camellia Assamica, a species of large-leaf tea distinct from China’s Camellia Sinensis.

Detailed explanation-2: -Robert Bruce in 1823 discovered tea plants growing wild in upper Brahmaputra Valley.

Detailed explanation-3: -There are two distinct production styles in Assam-the whole leaf “Orthodox” style and the “CTC” style, or Crush-Tear-Curl. Tea factories in Assam predominantly produce CTC tea for the wholesale commodity market. World over, people favour Assam Orthodox tea for the quality offered by its production style.

Detailed explanation-4: -However, the currently widely used scientific name of Assam tea, “C. sinensis var. assamica (J.W. Mast.)

Detailed explanation-5: -Tea was introduced to India by the British in the nineteenth century, to overcome the monopoly of Chinese production. The first area to be planted was the mountain region surrounding the city of Darjeeling, perched on the Himalayan foothills, in the 1850s.