Assam and tea: a story that began in 1823

Every cup of Mahak starts in Assam. Here's how this corner of India became home to more tea than any other region in the world.

A land made for tea

Assam's tea grows in the lowlands of the Brahmaputra valley. Clay soil, heavy monsoon rain and hot, humid summers give Assam tea its bold, malty strength: the kind of tea that stands up to milk, sugar and a good long boil.

1823: the plant the Singpho were already brewing

In 1823, the Scottish trader Robert Bruce came across a tea plant growing in Assam. Maniram Dewan, an Assamese nobleman, guided him to Bessa Gam, a chief of the Singpho people, who were already brewing tea from its leaves.

In the early 1830s Robert's brother, Charles Bruce, sent leaves to the botanical gardens in Calcutta. There the plant was confirmed as a variety of tea distinct from the Chinese plant. Today it's known as Camellia sinensis var. assamica.

From Assam to London

• 1836: Charles Bruce guided a team, including the botanist Nathaniel Wallich, to study the plant near Sadiya.

• 1838: the first batch of Assam tea was shipped to London.

• January 1839: it was auctioned there for the first time.

• 1839: the Assam Company was formed, the start of tea as an industry in the region.

1930: the birth of CTC

Nearly a century later, Assam shaped the way India drinks tea once again. In 1930 the first CTC (crush, tear, curl) machine began work at the Amgoorie Tea Garden in Assam. CTC's quick, strong, deep-coloured brew became the backbone of Indian chai.

Assam today

Assam is now the largest tea-growing region in the world by production, and its leaf fills chai cups across India and beyond. In 2023, Assam tea marked 200 years since that first encounter in 1823.

Knowing your garden, your pluckers, your packers, and everyone in between. That is what makes a cup of Mahak.

Our family has lived with Assam tea in Guwahati for more than 70 years. Mahak is our way of carrying that trust, and the aroma of Assam, to your home.