If you close your eyes whilst holding a hot cup of this tea in your hands its aroma will guide you along a path of scents and fragrances filled with exotic spices. Once you open your eyes you will have before you a wonderfully dark impenetrable liquid reminiscent of elegant Indian ladies dressed in their stunningly coloured saris. The strong and vigorous taste on your palate will remind you of the taste of typical Indian cuisine.

This is the Assam tea experience. A black tea that gives you the charm of India with every sip.

The origins of Assam tea

Over the years we have learned that to be able to really get to know our teas it is important to know their land of origin. Because it is from this union of earth, water, air and knowledgeable hands that these incredible leaves with their unique taste and fragrance come from. And this is the reason why we seek out tea plantations which will guarantee these unique teas.

Assam tea comes from a very special land.

The land of Assam tea

Vast stretches of the greenest tea plantations interspersed with dense and imposing jungle, and nature reserves form this enchanting region. Assam is a state situated in northeastern India and south of the eastern Himalayas. It is also known for its wildlife and archeological sites.

A large part of this state is traversed by the sacred Brahmaputra, which flows through China, India and Bangladesh, and Barak rivers. The Brahmaputra has its source in the Angsi glacier in Tibet and flows down to reach the Assam valley where it can flood up to ten kilometres wide! Here in The Brahmaputra Valley the Camellia Assamica bush thrives. Camellia Assamica is a variety of the common camellia Sinensis or, tea plant.

A snippet of trivia for you. Apart from southern China, Assam is the only region in the world that can claim to have its own original tea plant. And so it is that Camellia Assamica was born.

The Camellia Assamica is a much more substantial plant than the Camellia Sinensis, with larger leathery leaves and is ideal for the production of black and Oolong teas.

Babingtons Assam tea

Assam, as we have said, is a black tea, therefore filled with rich flavours and scents of India. To really enjoy the strong, rounded spicy flavours of this tea it should be drunk in its natural state, but it also blends very well with other teas. It’s also good with a dash of milk and a little sugar. This is why we consider it a morning tea, perhaps with a good English breakfast of eggs, bacon, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes. A great way to kick start your day.

We have already mentioned that Assam is a black tea, and is also our favourite tea in all its forms and fragrances. This is because it was the first tea ever served in our Tearooms in Piazza di Spagna way back in 1893. Back in the day when our founders Anna Maria Babington and Isabel Cargill were preparing their own exclusive blend of black teas before the fire that still burns today in our little back room.

Following in the footsteps of these two intrepid and passionate gentlewomen, Babingtons today is pioneering new blends based on black tea giving us the best of the scents and aromas of the land of tea.

Here are our Assam based black tea blends.

Colonial Chai

In order to give you the chance to really discover the true flavours of Assam tea and its powerful spicy aromas we have created Colonial Chai, a perfect way to experience the flavours of traditional Indian spices.

How to prepare Colonial Chai. Allow 2 – 3 grams of Colonial Chai tealeaves to infuse for three to four minutes in 200ml of water at 95°C.

Colonial Chai is wonderful drunk in many ways whether it be in its natural state or with a drop of milk and a little sugar. It’s good both iced and hot, a great idea now that spring has finally sprung!

Diamond Jubilee tea

We created this marvellously decisive blend in honour of our Queen Elizabeth II and the sixtieth anniversary of her reign.

Diamond Jubilee tea is blended from leaves from distant lands, as far off as Darjeeling and Assam in India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and the hot lands of Kenya. The result is a rich and diverse complexity of spices, malts, honey and fruit.

How to prepare Diamond Jubilee tea. Allow 2 – 3 grams of Diamond Jubilee tealeaves to infuse in 200ml of water at 95°C for three to five minutes and drink as is or with a dash of milk and sugar.

Scottish Blend

Here we have another strong and flavourful blend loaded with energy, based on Assam tea and black tea from Ceylon.

The sweetness of honey and the freshness of citrus fruits are what make our Scottish Blend tea so particular.

How to prepare Scottish Blend. Allow 2 – 3 grams of Scottish Blend tealeaves to infuse in 200ml of water at 95°C for three to four minutes. This tea is also very good as is or with a dash of milk and a pinch of sugar.

These and many other blends await you at Babingtons Tearooms, at you service every day since 1893.