Fire up your day with this Assam tea

Care for some fire in your morning cuppa? A new organic Assam tea blended with one of the world's hottest chillies might just fit the bill.

'Aromica Fiery Tea' — a blend of natural black dheki (pounded) tea and bhot jolokia or king chilli, which was once the world's hottest chilli grown in Assam — will hit the shelves on Tuesday. And the makers believe it's the perfect flavour to begin an adventurous day with.

"The tea will be available in our 25 stores in Guwahati. They will be available for sale online also," said Ranjit Baruah, the founding director of Tender Buds Teas & Crafts Pvt Ltd.

The new product is "deliciously hot, but tasty". Baruah says they have added a little ginger and a dash of lemon powder for an altogether different taste.

The fiery tea is pricey as well. A 70 gram can costs Rs 400.

"We have come across tea blended with normal chilli but not with this one, which was once rated as the world's hottest. This is perhaps the first such tea in the world," he told DH.

Bhot jolokia (Capsicum chinense) was rated the hottest chilli in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2013, but was later beaten by the US-origin 'Carolina Reaper', which continues to hold the record with 22,00,000 Scoville Heat Unit (the measure of spiciness). The king chilli has 10,41,423 SHU.

"Bhot jolokia contains anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetic properties. Chilli is also rich in Vitamin C. The unique aroma and taste will leave your taste buds wanting more," Baruah says.

Bhot jolokia is abundantly found in the Northeast, particularly in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. A startup based in Manipur's Ukhrul district is selling chocolate laced with bhot jolokia.

Tender Buds Teas & Crafts Pvt Ltd, set up in November 2018, sells at least 18 varieties of speciality tea such as flowering green tea, blue tea (blended with butterfly pea flower) and saffron tea (they call it a mood-lifting beverage).

Many companies are going for speciality teas as Assam tea is facing stiff competition in the market from Darjeeling tea, Nilgiri tea and those grown in China.