A good news for Assam! German airlines Lufthansa appears set to have Assam tea on its in-flight menu. The Indian Tea Board is talking to the German airline in this connection and the response from Lufthansa has been “positive”, a Tea Board official said.

“We are aware of the move and are extremely happy. Lufthansa not only can serve as a brand ambassador for Assam tea, but can give passengers a delightful experience of the high quality tea produce from the state,” Dhiraj Kakaty, head of the Indian Tea Association’s Assam Branch, told IANS.

The tea chosen is the best quality Assam Orthodox variety, that can compete favourably with the other well known varieties from elsewhere in India — the delicately flavoured Darjeeling and the stronger Nilgiri teas.

“The Second Flush Assam Orthodox is in any case the best tea in the world and a leading international airline picking up this variety to serve its passengers in the skies is great news,” Kakaty said.

Assam is considered the heart of the tea industry in India — the world’s largest tea producer — and accounts for about 55 per cent of the country’s total annual tea production of about 928 million kg. Assam tea is known for its strong and rich flavour, besides a deep amber colour with a malty character.

Tea Gardens in Assam are already exporting an estimated five to six million kg of Second Flush Orthodox tea to Germany.

Orthodox tea manufactured in Assam is in the process of getting the much sought after Geographical Indication Certificate, equivalent to a patent. Darjeeling tea, in 2003, got itself registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) provisions.

The GI certification protects indications identifying goods with certain special characteristics that originate in a particular geographical region. via Sify

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