印度綠茶Wakro新登場 New Release! India Green Tea Wakro
印度是著名的紅茶葉產地，大吉嶺、阿薩姆就是著名出品，其實當地亦出產不少綠茶。Blooms引入的印度綠茶Wakro，Wakro是地區名字，座落於印度東北部Arunachal Pradesh，茶葉出產自當地一個細小的有機茶園。
Wakro綠茶呈淡黃綠色，帶有輕微的煙燻、草青及植物味道，獨特的煙燻味是來自傳統小規模的柴火製茶方式。這款綠茶亦帶有綠茶常見的輕微苦澀味，用較低溫的水沖泡可以減輕苦澀程度。
Wakro向來是個盛產罌粟的地區，為何茶園老闆Basamlu Krisikro會種起綠茶來呢？原因是她媽媽患上了癌症，有位從事茶葉種植的朋友提議她媽媽飲用有機綠茶，自此媽媽除了吃藥治病，亦每天飲用從附近村落買來無化學物污染的綠茶。Basamlu每次購買綠茶都要長途跋涉，於是決定在自己後園種植。
在一個偏僻地區開墾土地作有機茶園是一件非常艱難的事，當地居民都勸阻她不要種綠茶，Basamlu不怕艱辛證明自己選擇正確，不但成功出售茶葉至加拿大、澳洲、美國、日本及德國等地，更成功改變附近村民只種植罌粟的習慣。
India is a famous export country of black tea e.g. Darjeeling & Assam. Actually they produce green tea too. Blooms presents you a new selection of green tea - Wakro. Wakro is the name of the tea origin located at the northeast part of India called Arunachal Pradesh. The tea is produced from a small organic tea farm.
In the cup, Wakro green is yellow and green and has slightly smoky, grass and vegetal flavours. There’s a mild astringency on the palate. This is a characteristic of green teas. Astringency can easily be lowered by reducing the temperature that the tea is brewed at. The smoky flavour on our Wakro teas is a result of the traditional small scale tea processing that Basamlu uses. The steaming and firing of the tea are undertaken using wood fires.
Traditionally Wakro and the area around it had been known for its orange groves. Wakro and its surrounds have also developed a reputation for cultivation of the opium poppy. Why tea garden owner Basamlu Krisikro start planting green tea? It is because her mother was detected cancer and was suggested to consume green tea. She began giving her mother a daily cup of organic green tea sourced from a niche estate near Roing town in Lower Dibang Valley district. But it wasn’t always convenient for her to travel miles to get the chemical-free beverage. So she decided to grow tea in the backyard of her house.
It takes a lot of courage to go for organic tea farming in a remote area since fertilisers and chemical booster ensure more commerial success. Basamlu proved that she is doing the right thing. She found buyers from Canada, Australia, USA, Japan and Germany for her Wakro Organic Tea brand. Also she changed the mindset of people addicted to opium.
