Assam Tarajulie Estate FBOP 2nd Flush Loose Leaf Black Tea

🍵 The Estate — FBOP grade orthodox leaf from the Tarajulie Estate in Assam's Thakurbari district, grown at 1,500 feet above sea level on a garden established in 1884

🍵 The Colour — A bright, coppery infusion with real depth and briskness; bold enough to hold its character with a generous splash of milk

🍵 The Character — Thick and full-bodied with a rich, deeply malty flavour, a smooth creamy texture, and a satisfying finish that lingers without bitterness

🍵 The Occasion — A classic all-day loose leaf black tea; as rewarding at breakfast as it is mid-afternoon, and equally good served black or with milk and sugar

The Tarajulie Estate in Assam's Thakurbari district has been producing tea since 1884, and its second flush FBOP grade is one of the most dependable and characterful single estate black teas available as a loose leaf. FBOP — Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe — is a grade in which the leaf is broken rather than kept whole, delivering a consistently strong, brisk infusion that brews quickly and holds its body well with milk. The second flush, harvested between late May and June each year, is widely regarded as the finest of the Assam growing season — producing a fuller, maltier cup than the lighter spring harvest, with a depth that comes only from leaves given time to fully mature in the heat of the Brahmaputra Valley.

The estate itself is one of the most striking in the region. Nestled between the Gabharu River to the west and the Dipota River to the east, its name is drawn from two six-hectare lakes — one called Tara, the other Julie — that lie within its two divisions. Spread across approximately 699 hectares, the land that surrounds the tea is as wild and untamed as it was when the first planters arrived in the nineteenth century. The estate maintains forested areas specifically to provide shelter for the wildlife that still wanders through: elephants and the occasional tiger have been spotted among the trees, and today these visits are welcomed rather than feared.

The tea is produced by the orthodox method — withering, rolling, oxidising, and drying — using the Camellia sinensis Assamica variety, whose large, bold leaf is the foundation of Assam's famously robust character. In the cup, Tarajulie FBOP gives a bright, coppery liquor with a thick, full-bodied texture and a deeply malty flavour that coats the palate smoothly. There is a natural creaminess here that makes it well-suited to milk, though it is entirely at ease drunk straight. It is the kind of tea that earns the phrase self-drinker — a cup that needs no embellishment to be genuinely excellent.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists. With over 350 teas and infusions — one of the largest collections in the country — we have always sought out teas with genuine character and provenance. Tarajulie FBOP earns its place without question.

Ingredients: Black tea (Camellia sinensis).

Brewing Note: Tarajulie FBOP is an unfussy tea that rewards honest, straightforward brewing. Use freshly boiled water at 100°C and steep for two to three minutes for a bright, brisk cup, or extend to four minutes if you prefer more body and depth. A well-rounded teaspoon per cup is the right measure. This tea takes milk confidently — a generous splash brings out the malt and softens the natural briskness into something smooth and round. It also brews well cold: steep double the leaf in just-boiled water, then pour over ice and leave to cool for a clean, refreshing iced Assam.

Please note: In order to become more environmentally-friendly we no longer add large coloured labels to our tea packets. Simply peel off the small name label from the back of your packet to make it totally biodegradable! Gift tubes are as shown.