No Products in the Cart
This month we journey to the small farm of Sailen Phulkan to enjoy some of the most premium Assam teas.
Poorvi just returned from India, where she spent a day with Sailen Phulkan, a dedicated small tea producer in Assam who tends his five-acre tea garden with extraordinary care. We have known Sailen for three years and have collaborated with him before, sharing his Assam Golden Reserve that many of you loved for its smoothness.
Sailen is truly a master of his craft. It has taken months of close collaboration to bring you these remarkable teas. This year has not been easy — Assam’s weather has swung between droughts and heavy rains, making it challenging to cultivate the high-quality leaves we select for the Fine Tea Club. Yet Sailen perseveres, working with four to five women tea pluckers from his village. He speaks of them as much a support to him as he is to them. Each leaf is carefully hand-plucked, resulting in teas that are refined, smooth, and full of layered complexity.
Among the treasures you will discover: Assam Dragon Balls, a unique artisanal black tea that opens into a rich, velvety cup with complex flavors; Assam Golden Needle, a painstaking labor of love where each bud is plucked and processed with precision; and Assam Green Tea, one of the most flavorful and least astringent green teas we have ever tasted from Assam’s hot, humid terroir.
We are so excited for you to savor these teas and experience for yourself the exceptional artistry of Sailen’s work.
Completely hand crafted whole leaf black tea rolled into beautiful dragon balls, this tea was made from the S3A3 cultivar, crafted in July 2025 exclusively for us. Its so delicious, and absolutely yummy! The brady amber liquor opens with bold notes of malt, caramel, toffee, and buttery biscuit. A second steep reveals deeper tones of malt and coffee. Beautifully layered and satisfying. Enjoy multiple steeps until the tea looses its flavor.
Steeping: 6 g / 120 ml / 195 °F / 1 min 45 s, 45 s, 45 s
This is our second batch of 2025 and combines S3A3 and P126 cultivars, produced painstakingly from only the choicest buds. True to Sailen’s perfectionism, one lot never left his farm because he felt it was not perfect enough. The result is exquisite with malt and hazelnut wrapped in the softness of a buttery croissant, lifted by a rare floral perfume that lends delicacy to its richness. We have more of this wonderful 2025 Assam Golden Needle black tea to for sale on our website, though a limited batch due to constraits of the weather.
Steeping: 5 g / 110 ml / 195 °F / 45 s, 45 s, 60 s
Beautiful whole leaves crafted in April 2025 from Teenali17 cultivar and pan fried with great finesse. Though green tea from Assamica varietal in Assam that is at sea level, can often be overly astringent, this green tea surprises us with its balance. Notes of pea shoot and roasted soy bean mingle with gentle sweetness and a touch of astringency. The liquor is viscous, smooth, and far less vegetal than expected, making this a refreshing and singular Assam green.
Steeping: 5 g / 120 ml / 170 °F / 40 s, 35 s, 40 s
Subscribe To Fine Tea Club
