Assam tea is not a single flavour or experience. From bold black teas to refreshing green teas and spiced chai, the region produces a wide range of styles that suit different moments, moods and preferences.
If you’re new to Assam tea, or simply unsure which style is right for you, this guide is designed to help. Rather than focusing on technical detail, it looks at how different Assam teas feel in the cup, so you can choose based on taste, strength and how you like to drink your tea.
For a deeper understanding of Assam’s landscape, plant variety and tea-making heritage, our Ultimate Guide to Assam Tea explores the region in detail.
Start With How You Like to Drink Your Tea
Before choosing a tea, it helps to think about how you actually enjoy drinking it.
Ask yourself:
• Do you add milk?
• Do you drink tea mainly in the morning or throughout the day?
• Do you enjoy bold flavours or lighter cups?
• Do you want something quick and convenient, or a slower ritual?
Your answers will naturally point you toward the right Assam tea style.
If you’re unsure how to brew Assam tea without overthinking it, our guide on how to brew Assam tea properly and simply walks through black tea, green tea and chai in a practical, everyday way.
Assam Black Tea: Bold, Grounding and Satisfying
Assam black tea is known for its depth, body and rich flavour. It’s a natural choice if you enjoy a strong cup that feels warming and substantial.
If you’re curious about what “strong” really means when it comes to Assam tea, including flavour, body and caffeine, our article on whether Assam tea is stronger than other black teas explores this in depth.
CTC Assam Black Tea
CTC (Crush–Tear–Curl) Assam black tea brews quickly and delivers a brisk, full-bodied cup. It’s ideal if you:
• Drink tea with milk
• Want a strong morning brew
• Enjoy traditional breakfast-style teas
This style is also the foundation of masala chai, where strength is essential to balance spices and milk.
At Dehing Tea, we source our premium quality Assam black tea from our single estate tea gardens, focusing on depth, strength and consistency in the cup. If you enjoy a classic, robust brew, our Dehing Assam Black Tea is ideal for everyday drinking, while our Second Flush Assam Black Tea showcases the richer character and seasonal depth that Assam is known for.
To understand more about what makes Second Flush Assam Tea so highly prized, our article on Second Flush Assam Tea Explained: Why It's the Most Prized Harvest discusses seasonality, processing and flavour.
Orthodox Assam Black Tea
Orthodox Assam tea is made using whole or larger leaf styles and brews more slowly. It often offers:
• Malt and honey notes
• A smoother, more layered flavour
• Greater enjoyment when taken without milk
Even if you encounter orthodox Assam elsewhere, understanding this style helps explain why Assam teas can vary so widely in character.
Assam Green Tea: Clean, Fresh and Uplifting
Assam green tea offers a refreshing alternative to black tea.
Gently steamed to prevent oxidation, Assam green tea retains a soft, vegetal freshness with a smooth finish. It’s well suited for all-day drinking as it has less intensity than black tea and it’s widely known for its natural health benefits.
If you’d like to understand why green tea behaves differently from black tea, our guide on the difference between green tea and black tea explains how processing shapes flavour and brewing.
At Dehing Tea, our Assam green tea is available both as loose leaf green tea for those who enjoy a traditional brewing ritual, and in green tea bags for convenient, everyday drinking, without compromising on freshness or flavour.
Masala Chai: Warming, Spiced and Comforting
Masala chai is for those who enjoy richness, spice and depth.
Made with Assam black tea and whole spices such as cardamom, ginger and cinnamon, chai is traditionally brewed with milk and gently simmered to give an almost culinary experience. It’s ideal if you enjoy a warming and comforting cup of tea that has bold and aromatic flavours.
Chai is also one of the most forgiving ways to enjoy Assam tea. There are no strict rules; only personal preference.
At Dehing Tea, our Masala Chai is blended using our quality CTC Assam black tea and whole spices, designed specifically for stovetop brewing with milk. It’s bold, balanced and deeply comforting and most importantly, is a traditional chai that’s easy to make at home.
Earl Grey: A Refined Twist on Assam Black Tea
For those who enjoy classic flavours with a lift, Earl Grey offers a different expression of Assam black tea.
Using orthodox whole leaf Assam tea infused with bergamot (and sometimes floral notes like lavender), Earl Grey delivers a refreshing, citrus aroma balanced between strength and elegance.
It can be enjoyed plain to appreciate its aromatic qualities or with milk for a more traditional style.
Our supreme Earl Grey Tea uses whole leaf orthodox Assam black tea, infused with bergamot and a subtle touch of lavender, creating a cup that is fragrant, balanced and refined. It’s available in loose leaf format for those who appreciate full leaf character, as well as tea bags for everyday convenience.
Caffeine-Free Herbal Teas: Chamomile, Hibiscus & Blue Tea
While Assam tea is at the heart of what we do, we also offer a small range of carefully sourced herbal teas from the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, India, including Chamomile, Hibiscus and Blue teas.
Calming and refreshing, our herbal teas are crafted from whole flowers rather than from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and are therefore naturally caffeine-free.
Chamomile Tea: Gentle and Calming
Chamomile is best known for its soft, floral flavour and naturally soothing qualities. It aids relaxation and reduces anxiety, improves sleep and eases digestion, hence its popularity over the centuries.
Its subtle, honeyed notes makes it an ideal choice if you prefer a gentle, calming drink throughout the day or if you prefer a caffeine-free evening tea.
Dehing Tea's Chamomile Tea is made from whole chamomile flowers rather than dust or fragments and is packed in biodegradable tea bags, offering a gentle, calming cup without caffeine.
Hibiscus Tea: Bright, Tart and Refreshing
Hibiscus tea offers a completely different experience. Deep ruby in colour, it brews into a vibrant, tangy cup with a refreshing sharpness similar to cranberry or pomegranate.
Hibiscus tea is rich in antioxidants and health benefits include lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol and fighting free radicals and inflammation.
This tea is particularly enjoyable:
• hot or iced
• as a refreshing alternative to black tea
• when you want something bold without caffeine
Dehing Tea’s Hibiscus Tea is made from whole hibiscus petals to deliver a vibrant, tangy infusion and is packed in biodegradable tea bags.
Blue Tea: Light, Floral and Visually Striking
Blue tea, made from butterfly pea flowers, is as beautiful as it is delicate. The infusion produces a naturally blue liquor with a soft, earthy-floral flavour. Blue tea is widely known for its health benefits including rich antioxidants that support skin and hair health and natural relaxation aids of promoting digestion and sleep.
It’s often chosen by those who:
• enjoy light, subtle herbal teas
• want something visually distinctive
• prefer caffeine-free options during the day or evening
Like the other herbal teas in the range, Dehing Tea’s Blue Tea is made from whole flowers and packed in biodegradable tea bags for convenience and sustainability.
There Is No “Best” Assam Tea. Only the Right One for You
There is no single “best” Assam tea; only the tea that suits how you like to drink it.
Assam’s strength lies in its versatility. From bold black teas that stand up to milk, to clean, refreshing green teas and warming masala chai, Assam offers a foundation of flavour that fits naturally into daily life. This is why it has remained one of the world’s most loved tea regions for generations.
At the same time, not every moment calls for caffeine or intensity. That’s where herbal teas have their place. While we do not source our chamomile, hibiscus and blue tea from Assam, they complement an Assam-led tea routine by offering calm, refreshment and balance, especially in the evening or between meals.
Choosing the right tea is not about rules or expertise. It’s about listening to what you want in your cup, whether that be energy, ease, strength or softness, and letting the tea support that moment.
To understand how Assam’s land, climate and craftsmanship shape the teas at the heart of this guide, return to our Ultimate Guide to Assam Tea, where the full story comes together.