The name comes from "Bowkool," an Assamese word for a tree with small, spider-like flowers, and it points to a garden with real standing among Assam's tea estates. Bokel lies on the south bank of the Brahmaputra, near Dibrugarh, in country that produces some of the finest leaf in the whole of Assam. The estate itself is large, covering over 1,700 hectares, and its history is tied to the area around it: land now occupied by Dibrugarh Airport once belonged to the garden. Wastewater from tea processing is recycled to help the bushes grow, and the estate supports its workers with houses, nurseries, schools, clubs, and places of worship spanning several faiths, along with clinics. It reads less like a single plantation than a working settlement built around the crop.
TGFOP1 is a grade worth unpacking rather than skimming past. "FOP," Flowery Orange Pekoe, refers to tea plucked from the top bud and first two leaves of each new shoot: young, tender growth with a good balance of tip to bud. The "TG," Tippy Golden, means an unusually high share of golden tips among the leaves, which is part of what sets this lot apart from a plainer Assam. Assam as a growing region has been producing tea since 1823, after Robert Bruce, a Scotsman, helped establish the industry there, and it remains one of the best known of India's tea-growing areas.
In the cup this one shows its type clearly: coppery, dark liquor with a bright aroma and a bold, malty character, backed by floral and orange notes and a thick, smooth body that runs toward coffee in its depth. The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company packs it fresh to order at its factory in Kent, which keeps both quality and consistency steady from batch to batch. Brew with freshly boiled water and give it three to five minutes to open up. Serve with milk if you like your Assam that way, which suits its malty, full-bodied style well.
