Right Practices That Make Premium Quality Tea

With winters approaching, what wouldn’t you give for a warm cuppa of your favorite premium quality tea from Assam to fight a slumber-induced afternoon rivaling your demanding work schedule. A sip into the warm sunset liquor can brave you for another run of earnest two hours labor. Oh for a cup of Tea!

However, the prize of our labor is too easefully satisfied in a steaming cuppa, but going a little behind, the source instrumental in the origin of the savoring 80+ varieties that reach the market, the unrecognized labor of relentless toil, is mostly overlooked by us, the tea lovers. Organic tea plantation is not an easy task. Sourcing tea leaves with environment-positive practices demands supporting an entire ecosystem of small local growers and farmers of large tea estates. They are the foundation that balances the tea ecology.

What is the ideal tea plantation climate?

Like any cultivation, tea cultivation too has its pain and can be quite extracting and exerting. When we talk about the Assam premium quality tea, the cultivation lands where the tea bushes spread are high-temperature low lands on the foothills. The climatic conditions are mostly tropical and subtropical fed by heavy rainfall that triggers the best quality of growth in the plants. The temperature ranges between sixteen to thirty-two degrees Celsius. This is considered the ideal weather, however, if the variation is below or higher, the quality of the yield largely suffers. Warm summers are quenched by frequent rains and the ideal annual rainfall should be within 125–150 cm stretch between periods of 8–9 months. The quality of yield is rich and flavorful in such a climatic balance. The atmosphere humidity must be 80% for best leaf health.

The soil condition stimulates a change in the tea leaf variety depending on lateritic, alluvial, and peaty soil. For the most nourished growth, the soil should be amply provided with a high balance of potassium, silicon, and iron in the subsoil. Well-drained porous friable loamy soil with porous subsoil can stimulate a high and healthy yield. The tea plant is not tolerant of water stagnation. Assam tea gardens, therefore, cover the sloping hills that keep the soil well-drained naturally. However, soil erosion in the monsoons is a common problem, and to overcome erosion, tea bushes snake artfully along the edges.

How important is organic plantation?

The importance of organic farming is being essentially observed in all food types. If the climatic conditions are favorable the cultivation of a healthy variety of tea is natural. Synthetic materials in farming procedures are no more acceptable and, farmers are making conscious efforts to follow the healthiest agricultural methods. The price of organic tea fetches better customers than those with the synthetic yielding process.

How hard do farmers work for organic tea farming?

Pest Management

Farmers need to be watchful of pest management and, pesticides must not be sprayed on matured plants. Those pesticides recommended by the national tea research institutes are used.

Weed control

Weed control in small farms is handled manually by farmers. In larger farms herbicides in low volume spot spray target to reduce the wider spread of the herbicide.

Organic fertilizer

Farmers use compost and organic matter, to nourish tea plants. The fertilizers are placed below the tea canopy after careful digging. Applying the right amount of fertilizer demands knowledge as over-fertilization can damage the soil and the plants. Farmers are made to attend workshops for knowing the right ratio.

Irrigation

Drip irrigation is a common practice in tea plantations. Rainwater harvesting makes the plants healthy.

With all these responsible practices, a healthy cup of tea fills our cup with hopes of health and wellness.