Assam tea Assam tea Assam tea is a black tea named after the region of its production, Assam, in India. Assam tea is manufactured specifically from the plant "Camellia sinensis" var. "assamica" (Masters). The same tea plant is also traditionally used in Yunnan province in China. Assam tea is mostly grown at or near sea level and is known for its body, briskness, malty flavour, and strong, bright colour. Assam teas, or blends containing Assam, are often sold as "breakfast" teas. For instance, Irish breakfast tea, a maltier and stronger breakfast tea, consists of small-sized Assam tea leaves. The state of Assam
History of tea and Travels", containing the first European reference to tea, which he calls "Chai Catai"; his accounts were based on second-hand reports. Portuguese priests and merchants in the 16th century made their first contact with tea in China, at which time it was termed "chá". The first Portuguese ships reached China in 1516, and in 1560 Portuguese missionary Gaspar da Cruz published the first Portuguese account of Chinese tea; in 1565 Italian missionary Louis Almeida published the first European account of tea in Japan. Commercial production of tea was first introduced into India by the British, in an attempt to break