Royal Bengal Tiger

When British planters first ventured into the Assam Valley in the 1850’s and 1860’s with the view of establishing tea plantations, they faced many difficulties; especially with the wildlife. They had to contend with marauding elephants, king cobras and troops of monkeys, (the monkey’s were more of a nuisance than a threat as they would quickly steal anything left unattended). Perhaps the most feared animal was the mature Bengal Tiger, an animal that could kill with one swipe of its powerful paws and carry away young people.

Historical accounts tell of the planters boiling water and adding locally grown fruits and spices along with the tea to ward off pangs of hunger and bouts of thirst. The fruit would give them the vitamin C their body required; the cinnamon had a curative affect on their digestive system... and the tea - well! what citizen of England could survive without tea! Step back in time and relive a moment or two with the Tea Planters of the British Empire as the faced another day in the ‘Ulu’ with a cup of ‘Royal Bengal Tiger Tea’

Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Pour into your cup and add milk and sugar to taste.

Iced tea brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.]