A good cup of tea doesn’t need an introduction. No matter which tea you prefer a mere sip can stimulate your taste buds and tea connoisseur or not, the sensation can simply help one identify whether it is good or bad. But this particular packet of Assam Tea can be judged for its value and quality of the tea by touching the cover of the packet. ‘Aromica Tea’ of Guwahati in Assam has introduced India’s and possibly the world’s first Braille-friendly tea packets.
“Aromica Tea ‘s Braille Friendly Tea packs are an effort to provide access to tea and a choice for the visually impaired. We look forward in this initiative to promote Assam Tea with a holistic approach and our step forward to provide choice to the especially abled and create a more inclusive society by providing access” says Ranjit Baruah, Owner of Aromica Tea.
“Braille-friendly products addresses the needs of a special category of people of the society and respect their dignity and equal rights in determining their choice. This initiative is an endeavor in this effort of providing equality," Baruah added.
The braille-etched container has the product description of the contents inside, price, net weight, and manufacturing and expiry date all written on it. The designing and printing of the containers has been done in Guwahati.
“Our NGO, Care4u is committed to the cause of visually impaired. Mr Baruah approached us with the noble concept. It was indeed a unique idea with tea and we collaborated with his company to design and execute it. We have our own embosser so we could join hands in the initiative without any commercial benefit. It’s a new concept,” says Bhrigu Goswami of Care4U.
So far three kinds of tea has been promoted. Assam Orthodox tea, Assam Green tea and one value added real MASALA TEA.
“Depending on the response more products would be launched in future. This is an attempt to promote Assam tea also which will now come with braille friendly packaging. The entire concept took about 8 months to materialize and finally we launched. The company expects that this small endeavor for the visually challenged will go a long way in giving them a choice in a simple way to help the visually impaired to identify and access the products easily” says Baruah, who deals with 40 different types of tea with value addition which is an effort to redefine the Assam Tea as a ‘wellness drink’ globally.
“Many of us have the gift of vision and not often do we realize the everyday struggles of the visually impaired, especially when everything around is designed for people with vision. A Braille pack is not only enabling but also makes it easily accessible for all," added Baruah.
Whether you’re new to tea or have been sipping for years, it’s important to be able to identify high-quality loose leaf tea. Simply relying on four of your senses- sight, touch, smell and taste will help you on your path to becoming a tea connoisseur. Here’s what to note each step of the way:
Sight: Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of tea processing: CTC (cut, tear, curl) and Orthodox. In the CTC method, tea leaves are sent through a machine that cuts, tears and curls them into small pellets. CTC processing is suitable for teabags and delivers a dark strong brew quickly, though sometimes at the expense of the more subtle aromas of tea. In the Orthodox (or “long leaf”) method, tea leaves are delicately handled to ensure minimal breakage. Orthodox-prepared teas are rolled, preserving the leaves’ aromatic compounds and retaining the complex flavors. Therefore, high-quality loose leaf tea leaves should look like tea leaves. Avoid loose leaf tea that looks crumbly or appears to contain a lot of stalks and woody fragments, as it will be less flavorful and complex. As you steep the tea, the leaves should unfurl slowly.
Touch: In general, high-quality dried tea leaves should feel how they look: smooth, whole and sturdy. It should also have a slight heft in your hands; if your tea feels feather-light, it may be an indication that it was over-dried or is getting old. High-quality loose leaf should not crumble or disintegrate with gentle handling. Steeped tea leaves should feel slippery and smooth to the touch.
Smell: No matter what kind it is, high-quality tea will have a distinct aroma. If you inhale deeply and are getting only trace amounts of scent, this could be a sign that the tea is low quality or getting old and stale. Green tea should smell grassy, light and fresh, while black tea should smell earthy, floral and sweet. When steeped, excellent tea should be deeply aromatic and amplify the unique scents of the dry tea leaves.
Taste: Great tea will have a strong, recognizable taste and mouth feel. Sip slowly, allowing the tea to roll over different parts of your tongue; you should be able notice different flavour notes and mouth feels. The best-tasting green tea will feel and taste smooth, bright and refreshing; while black tea has a deeper, more intense taste. Regardless of what type of tea you’re sipping, excellent tea will activate different flavour sensations on your tongue as you drink. Flavours that are barely noticeable, overly astringent or unpleasantly chemical-tasting are an indication that you are drinking low-quality or old tea.
Next time you sample a new tea, be sure to run through these four senses: sight, touch, smell and taste.
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