In 1823, a Scottish adventurer named Robert Bruce noticed wild tea plants growing near Rangpur in what is now Assam. It was a discovery that would reshape the global tea industry, spark the British Empire's obsession with Indian tea, and transform the Brahmaputra valley into one of the most productive tea-growing regions on earth.
Two centuries later, Assam produces over 50% of India's total tea output and one-sixth of the world's supply. The state has more than 850 tea estates, employing over a million workers. And the tea they grow — deep, malty, brisk Assam CTC — is the backbone of every cup of masala chai made across India.
The Jorhat Tea Trail
Jorhat in Upper Assam is the commercial capital of India's tea industry and the best base for visiting the gardens. The town itself is unremarkable, but the surrounding landscape is extraordinary — an unbroken green carpet of tea bushes stretching to the Brahmaputra river, punctuated by the colonial bungalows of working estates.
Several estates offer overnight stays in their heritage garden bungalows — spacious, teak-floored residences built in the 1890s for British estate managers, now thoughtfully converted into boutique guesthouses. Waking up to a pot of just-processed tea, brewed from leaves plucked the previous day on the property, is a benchmark experience.
Recommended estates near Jorhat:
- Thengal Manor — heritage manor stay, curated garden tours, exceptional malty tea
- Kaziranga Golf Resort (adjacent to the rhino sanctuary) — gardens, wildlife, and tea
- Hunwal Tea Estate — smaller, more intimate, excellent guided leaf-picking walks
The Majuli River Island
A short ferry crossing from Jorhat takes you to Majuli — the world's largest river island, sitting in the middle of the Brahmaputra. Majuli is a centre of Vaishnavite monasteries (satras), mask-making, and a culture entirely its own. The chai culture here draws on the island's traditional herbs — tulsi, ginger, wild pepper — to produce infusions quite different from the commercial CTC of the mainland gardens.
How Assam CTC Becomes Chai
The CTC process — Crush, Tear, Curl — was developed in Assam in the 1930s to produce tea that brews quickly and vigorously in hard water. It is the antithesis of the delicate orthodox teas of Darjeeling: the leaves are machine-processed into tiny pellets that release maximum tannin and colour in minutes.
This is why Assam CTC is the perfect foundation for masala chai. The boldness of the tea can stand up to the milk, spices, and sugar without being overwhelmed — Darjeeling or Nilgiri tea would simply disappear under the same treatment.
“Standing in an Assam tea garden at first light, the mist still low over the bushes, holding a cup of tea made from leaves plucked an hour ago, you understand exactly why this valley became the axis around which India's great chai culture turned.
Dibrugarh: The Tea City
Dibrugarh in Upper Assam calls itself India's Tea City. The Tocklai Tea Research Institute — the oldest tea research station in the world, established in 1911 — is located nearby and offers fascinating guided tours. The town's own chai shops make tea in the Assamese style: brewed strong, served with jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) rather than white sugar, and often accompanied by pitha (rice flour snacks).
📍 Northeast India