Having visited 23 top Assam tea factories so far, I’m starting to pick up a thing or two. One of the highlights is experiencing the warm relationship built up between Taylors of Harrogate and our key producers. We like to reward quality, not just by paying good prices for quality tea but also in the factories and amongst the tea makers themselves. My colleagues before me, while visiting factories, have presented quality producers with ‘Quality Plaques’ and certificates, which I often see proudly on display in tasting rooms across Assam.

There is something very enchanting about being on a tea estate here in Assam, especially at this time of year when the quality second flush shoots are popping up. Tea bushes are carpeted with bright green supple leaves, nimbly plucked by ladies in the most vibrantly coloured, beautiful saris. Now these ladies are a key part of this whole process, as factories can only make good tea from good leaf raw material and so commitment to quality must start from here.

As we know, any old leaf just will not do, but there’s a little more detail behind plucking during this season. Two leaves and a bud are an absolute must, but not just that: the buds need to reach a certain level of maturity to capture really good flavour, and the nurturing of these buds is key. Some types of buds grow silvery, silky downs on them, a great sign of quality and a lovely sight when the sun reflects on the bush tops. So, as the ladies go about their work, they not only pluck two leaves and a bud but maintain the bushes and check that everything is in place for the new young buds that will be next week’s leaf. It’s quite an art.

If you’re regular to the site, I’m sure you must have come across us talking about our Yorkshire Gold Season’s Pick range by now. The idea is to showcase the absolute pick of the crop from key tea origins and packing it fresh off the boat so you get to try peak season tea at its freshest. We launched last year with Season’s Pick Assam, and I'm pleased to say I've now visited the estate it came from! I brought a box from UK to show them and we drank it for afternoon tea. Mr Gill, factory manager at Borsapori Tea Estate, said he thought it had even matured well and tastes better than it did when it left his factory!

And just to add to Sanjay’s elephant encounters in an earlier post, here’s where the said elephants scratch their backs... Bye for now!