Panitola sits at the heart of upper Assam's tea country, and the estate's leaves show it: this TGFOP pours a thick, strong liquor with the malty backbone Assam is known for, rounded out by notes of lemon, orange and honey. Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe is the grade — plucked from the top bud and first two leaves of each new shoot, with a high proportion of golden tips running through the leaf. The estate also produces FBOP, GBOP and STGFOP grades from the same gardens, but this is the tippy top of that range.
Tea & Coffee packs this one fresh to order rather than holding stock, which keeps the leaf tasting closer to what came off the estate. Panitola itself is a working tea garden in the fuller sense: it runs two primary schools for workers' children, creches for those under six, a free computer training centre for older students, an on-site hospital offering free healthcare, and a shop selling essentials at reasonable rates.
In the cup it holds up well to milk, and takes sugar, honey or lemon if you want to sweeten or brighten it — or it drinks black if you'd rather taste the malt straight. Black tea has long been drunk for its lift as much as its flavour, thanks to the natural caffeine.
To brew it, spoon loose leaf into an infuser or filter, set it in a cup or mug, pour over freshly boiled water and let it steep for three to five minutes.
