Tea: Heritage Firewood Green

Grower: Heritage Tea Assam

Origin: Dibrugarh in Assam, India

Elevation: 54m (177ft)

Cultivation: Natural (Organic, but no certification)

Harvest Date: Spring 2015

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This is a firewood-smoked batch of the Heritage Green from Rajen Baruah. The raw leaves are first steamed, creating a green tea, then smoked over firewood to transform the profile. The result is a rich, savory-sweet tea with notes of smoked salmon and roasted vegetables.

Excellent for fans of smoked tea like Lapsang Souchong, or for green tea drinkers who like the strong, savory flavors of steamed sencha.

Interestingly, the tea develops a soft, sweet aftertaste that becomes flowery in later steepings, leaving a clean, fragrant finish after such a strong tea.

Green tea is unusual for Assam, a tea region dominated by large companies that make low-quality tea. Rajen Baruah had worked for these large tea companies, but came out of retirement to establish Heritage Tea. He is now empowering Assam tea farmers to make specialty teas like these, studying diverse tea-making methods to create new Assam teas. Heritage Tea also grows with locally-sourced vermicompost, and is completely chemical-free.

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Recommended Brewing Instructions: Use 1tsp (~3g) per 250ml cup.
Brew for 2 minutes.

- 175F for a smoother, sweeter profile with smoky, mineral overtones.

- 185F for a rich, savory profile with strong, full flavors.

This tea can be rebrewed up to 4 times, with hotter water and longer infusions.