Handmade Assam Tea Process- the real story.

People often talk about handmade tea like it is something rare or special. But from where I stand in a small 25 year old family garden in Assam, it is not mysterious at all. It is slow work, careful work, and the decision to do things by hand in a world that depends more and more on machines.

When we say our tea is handmade, we mean hands. We pick, roll, shape, and dry the leaves ourselves. There are no rollers, no fast cutters, and no shortcuts that trade quality for speed. Machines can finish large batches in minutes. We sometimes take days to finish a single small lot. That difference, the time and attention we give the leaf, is what handmade really means to us.

How Handmade Assam Tea Feels in the Leaf 

A machine pushes and breaks the leaf to get flavour out quickly. Handmade tea keeps the leaf whole. A whole leaf holds its natural oils and sweetness. It holds the smell of the day it was plucked, the warmth, the sun, the humidity.

When you brew handmade tea, the leaf opens slowly. The flavours release in layers. You taste softness first, then sweetness, then the deeper notes that stay long after the sip.

Why Assam Helps This Craft, Yet Rarely Practices It 

Assam has everything needed to make remarkable handmade tea. Rich soil, warm climate, heavy rain, and leaves with strong natural character.

Yet handmade tea is rare here. Most gardens grow at a scale where machines make sense. If thousands of kilos enter each day, speed becomes the priority.

In our small garden, we chose not to chase speed. We chose to make smaller batches and treat each one with care. It is not the easiest choice, and certainly not the most profitable, but it allows the leaf to express itself fully. It lets us make tea that tastes honest, not rushed.

If you want to understand Assam better as a region, you can read our Assam Origins page here:
Assam Origins (link once page exists)

Our Garden Story and How It Changed Us 

Our garden did not start this way. In the early years, we used the same conventional methods everyone else used. Over time, we saw the soil getting tired and the teas tasting dull. That feeling made us step back and change direction.

We reduced inputs.
We slowed the processing.
We worked with the soil instead of pushing it.

The yields dropped, the work increased, but the land felt alive again. And our teas tasted clearer, fuller, and closer to what Assam should taste like.

If you want to know more about our garden and approach, visit our About page: About Maayah Tea

Brewing Handmade Tea Without Overthinking It 

Handmade tea does not need complicated brewing.

For black tea:
Use 12 grams of leaf,150ml water.
Water just off the boil
Steep for 3 minutes. Enjoy multiple brew

For green tea:
Use 7 grams,150ml water.
Water around 75°C
Steep for 90 seconds. Enjoy multiple brew.

Handmade tea is forgiving. It responds well to small adjustments and rarely punishes you for experimenting.

Learn More About Handmade Assam Tea 

If you want to understand our handmade process, Assam’s climate, micro lot production, brewing, and the questions people ask most often, you can read our detailed FAQ page.

It is written clearly and reflects exactly how we work and think.

Read the full Handmade Assam Tea FAQ

For those who want to explore our teas:

Explore our Handmade Assam Tea Collection