By: Mithun Baruah
On the occasion of International Tea Day on 21st May, Manje La Singpho, an awardee of the Assam Gaurav Award and prominent Singpho leader, as well as a Singpho Tea Phalap manufacturer from Margherita, spoke with this correspondent about the history of Singpho Tea (Phalap). Long ago, two Singpho brothers went hunting deep in the forests of Assam. While wandering through the jungle, they couldn’t find any animals to hunt, and as a result, they ran out of life-saving food and water. Tired, hungry, and thirsty, they decided to rest next to a small tree plant. Desperate, they reached out and ate the leaves of the tree. To their surprise and delight, they felt better shortly after consuming the leaves. Their hunger and thirst were alleviated. One of the brothers asked the question: “PHA LAP?” PHA means “what,” and LAP means “leaf” in the Singpho language. They plucked the seeds and planted them at home. Soon, every Singpho learned the value of those leaves, and PHALAP became synonymous with the word “Tea.”
The discovery of tea in India can be traced back to the powerful frontier Singpho Tribe of Assam. In 1823, Robert Bruce, a secret agent to David Scott, travelled on a strategic mission to the eastern frontier of British India and discovered wild tea plants growing in the Singpho Country. During his travels, Robert Bruce developed a friendship with Beesa Gaum, the Singpho chief of Beesa, who gifted tea plants and seeds as a testament to friendship. This incident marked a turning point in the discovery of tea in India.
It has been proven that tea originated in China around 350 BC. There have been speculations that tea was also consumed in India, albeit in different forms. Contrary to the popular misconception that tea was originally an “imported” crop, it is an indigenous plant of India, with the most prominent regions being Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, the homeland of the Singphos. The Singphos have been drinking tea as a beverage since time immemorial.
The history of tea in Assam begins with the enterprising Ningru Chief (Duwa) who laid the foundation for trading tea from the Ledo and Margherita regions. In 1840, the first batch of 95 tea boxes was dispatched to the Calcutta Market for sale. Out of these 95 boxes, 35 were prepared and packed by Ningrula himself. He earned a profit of 480 pounds from those 35 tea boxes, writing the commercial chapter of Assam tea.
“Singpho Heritage Tea” focuses on PHALAP, a premium Singpho Tea brand for tea lovers. “PHALAP” is purely natural handmade tea produced by the Singpho community in Assam. The unique taste and aroma of this tea, produced using traditional know-how since time immemorial make Phalap a superb drink. “Singpho Heritage Tea” offers “PHALAP” in the form of wild hollow bamboo tubes as well as loose tea.
Instructions for steeping Ndum Phalap (Bamboo Tea):
- Place water in a tea kettle and heat it to 180°F to 200°F until the water is fully boiled.
- Put the Bamboo tea as per your requirement and steep it for 1 to 5 minutes.
- You can reuse the leaves 2 or 3 times if you are using a larger capacity teapot or tea kettle.
- Pre-warm the teapot or cup by pouring a little hot boiling water and then pour out the water.
- Keep the Bamboo Tea in a dry airtight container after peeling.
Instructions for steeping Phalap (Loose Leaf Tea):
- Pre-warm the teapot or cup by pouring a little hot boiling water and then pour out the water.
- Place 1 to 2 grams of Phalap in one cup and put it in the pot or cup.
- Pour full-boiling water over the tea leaf and place the lid on the pot or cover the tea cup with a saucer.
- Allow it to steep for 2-3 minutes.
- You can also brew Phalap by putting it into fully rolling boiled water.
- Taste the tea yourself for 1 minute and then every 30 seconds until it reaches your desired strength before serving someone.
- Loose Leaf Phalap generally infuses more quickly than Ndum Phalap (Bamboo Tea).
- No milk or sugar should be added to Phalap. It has a combined taste of Green Tea and Oolong Tea.
- The normal standard measurement for Singpho Tea leaf is 1 gram to 1 cup.
- Keep the tea in a dry airtight container after opening the tea packet.
- Before placing the tea leaf in the teapot or tea cup, heat the tea leaf with a small pan for 1 minute to get the perfect aroma of the Phalap.
The Singpho people believe that regular consumption of PHALAP helps in controlling diabetes, cancer, lowering hypertension, anti-mutation, and heart problems, among others. (The author can be reached at mithunbaruah7@gmail.com)
