Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/673312
60 Tea & Coffee Trade Journal | www.teaandcoffee.net botanical distinction is very similar to the one concerning the two main coffee varieties, the Arabicas being high grown, and the Robustas prospering in hot and humid lower grounds. Both the low- grown varieties, i.e. Robusta coffee and var. assamica tea have significantly higher caffeine levels than the high-grown vari- eties, because caffeine is a natural insect repellent and helps the plants to fight the more frequent pest attacks. Since the early years the natural local tea plants have undergone many improve- ments through agri-botanical science, with the Tocklai TRI in Jorhat being not only the world's oldest but also the world's biggest tea research institute. Many new cultivars have been developed to cope with the climatic challenges such as floods and draughts, not to mention the threats of climate change, but also to improve yields and cup quality. In Assam, the tea harvesting season runs from March to December. The best teas are the second flush pickings in May and June every year, unanimously sought for their tippy shoots and intense malty taste. According to Indi Khanna, CEO of Tea'n Teas in Coonor, South India, this is due to the plant metabolism, which he explained as follows, "After the first flush the bushes, on account of the trauma of that first pluck, react by sending the starches downwards in a manner similar to the winter dormancy. Spring is the period of growth in which the starch reserves, after a two- to three-week period of dormancy, begin to once again shoot upwards, allowing the bush to revive and go into full blown growth. This short reactionary period of dormancy is called the Banjhi spell, after the name of the dormant bud which, after it is nipped off, allows the bush to come into the main and second flush. The continued growth extends into the rains–autumnal and win- ter flushes–without any break in harvest Universal_Commodities_1-4V.indd 1 4/1/16 5:35 PM origin highlight: assam HPT HENRY P. THOMSON, INC. Tea Importers EST. 1912 P.O. Box 440| 126 Main Street| Peapack, NJ 07977 P: 908-532-0500 MEMBER OF: OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE: HenryPThompson4C_TC_April14 3/24/14 2:57 PM Page 1 Assam is comprised of 765 tea estates and 753 tea factories, which produce more than half of India's tea.