If you’ve ever sipped an English black tea, the chances are good that it was made with Assam leaves. As the base for most English Breakfast blends, Assam is one of the best known types of tea in the western world. As with most teas, the name “Assam” carries connotations about where the tea is grown, what variety of the plant is used to make it, and even how it is crafted. But given the proliferation of blends and flavored teas that use these leaves as a base, the definition can get muddled. So, what exactly is Assam tea?

Throughout history, tea drinkers have prized leaves cultivated at high elevations. In almost every category, elevation can mark the difference between a good tea and an incredible one. In Taiwan, it can even be the primary factor in determining quality. Tea growers in Taiwan have moved gradually up the mountains over time, first planting tea at 700 meters above sea level, and then 1,600, and finally at the highest peaks of the Lishan range. Da Yu Lin, the highest tea-growing peak, reaches nearly 2,800 meters.

Since moving upwards in elevation naturally reduces the amount of available land, and colder temperatures further reduce crop yields, it seems counterintuitive to continue moving up the mountain. For the harvest to be worth the extra effort, it must be exceptional enough to command higher prices. So what, exactly, does elevation add? Is it merely prestige and rarity that makes these teas seem a cut above the rest?

Well, no. Actually, the elevation of a plant impacts almost every facet of its growing process, from flavor development to pest control. Even within a single region, environmental conditions can vary wildly with elevation, changing the terroir, and the quality, of the tea. Overall, high mountain teas are recognized as having more complexity to the flavor, less bitterness, and a more creamy texture to the finish.

Adding sugar to tea is a time honored tradition in the western world. And historically, this makes a lot of sense. Teas imported to western Europe were produced in mass quantity, chopped and compressed for maximum space efficiency, and then spent several months on a humid ship, inevitably going a bit stale in the process. For stronger flavor, the broken tea leaves were steeped for longer periods, after which milk and sugar were added to offset the bitterness inherent in the brew.

So while there’s nothing inherently wrong with adding sugar or milk, we often compare tea with additives to sangria. Adding fruit to a cheap wine is likely to improve the flavor, but adding fruit to an high quality bottle only masks the subtle complexities in the wine itself. Basically, it's a waste. 

Luckily, there are many teas with complex flavor and an undeniable natural sweetness. Here are five options in a wide range of styles that don’t need any sweeteners to feel like a treat.

Among the poetic English names given to Chinese teas, Royal Courtesan is a relative newcomer. According to legend, the leaves of this bug bitten oolong had the grace and poise of an imperial concubine, inspiring the name. But as with Milk Oolong, or any other generalized tea name, “Royal Courtesan” doesn’t offer much information about the tea you’re drinking. Vague labels like this are often used to increase the perceived value of mediocre tea.

Most of the aroma and flavor we perceive from a tea comes from a huge variety of ‘volatile compounds’ that vary from leaf to leaf. It’s practically impossible to trace any particular flavor to a specific compound. But the natural sweetness of tea comes from the very building blocks of the plant itself: carbohydrates.

If you know anything about Red Blossom Tea Company, we hope it’s that we source pure teas. We spend our sourcing trips seeking out small farms, building relationships with growers and crafters, and tasting a massive variety of teas to cultivate a selection of delicious, unadulterated tea leaves.

But right now, none of the teas on our shelves are certified organic by the USDA. While we do have preliminary certifications from the National Organic Program for several teas, we also know that in the world of Chinese tea, an organic label doesn't always indicate the best quality.

Why is this, you ask? Isn’t organic tea farming definitively superior to “conventional” methods? Does the lack of organic certification indicate that these teas are contaminated with chemicals? And if a tea farm is using natural growing methods, why wouldn’t they be certified as an organic farm?

To answer these questions, we first need to define the difference between traditional and organic teas. Then, we’ll discuss why organic certification is not always the best indicator of quality, and how we personally ensure the farms we work with are growing responsibly.