Assam debuts cultivation of Japanese teas
A garden in Assam, India started the region's first-ever production of Japanese-style teas, hoping to replicate some of the aromas and flavors that Japanese tea is famous for. Chota Tingrai plantation in Tinsuka district of Upper Assam opened a green tea manufacturing unit using fully automated Japanese machinery and processes, overseen by Japanese professionals. The garden will initially produce two types of tea: Guricha, with mellow liqor and sweet aftertaste, and Hojicha, a type of roasted tea. Differently from Japanese plantations, it will use local Assam tea leaves, also known as camellia sinensis assamica. It is the first fully-automated modern Japanese factory in India able to produce about 300,000 kilograms of green tea per year.