Terroir · Assam & Darjeeling

Every cup begins as an elevation.

Two gardens, four hundred kilometres apart, growing the same plant. One sits in river silt at forty-five metres. The other clings to a Himalayan ridge at two thousand. That single difference decides everything — the colour, the body, the muscatel.

Shop the catalogue Take the climb
Assam floodplain45 mDarjeeling ridge2,100 mSame speciesC. sinensis
Scroll to climb
45m
Brahmaputra Valley, Assam

Heat, silt and monsoon. Big flat leaves, heavy with malt.

01 / 06

Plucking

Two leaves and an unopened bud, taken by hand at first light. Nothing coarser makes the grade — the older the leaf, the flatter the cup.

Duration—
TemperatureAmbient
Moisture78%

Watch the leaf

A film for every tea

Ninety seconds per cultivar — where it grows, how it is plucked, what it should taste like. Play the one you are curious about.

First Flush
Darjeeling · 1st flush

First Flush

Spring pluck, pale liquor, green-floral bite.Film coming soon
Second Flush
Darjeeling · 2nd flush

Second Flush

The muscatel summer. Amber, round, stone-fruit.Film coming soon
Diamond CTC
Assam · CTC

Diamond CTC

The everyday chai granule. Strong, brisk, milk-ready.Film coming soon
Platina CTC
Assam · CTC

Platina CTC

A finer cut. Faster colour, cleaner finish.Film coming soon
Special Masala
Blend · Masala

Special Masala

Whole spice, ground fresh, folded into CTC.Film coming soon
Marvel Green
Green · Whole leaf

Marvel Green

Pan-fired, grassy-sweet, forgiving to brew.Film coming soon
Jasmine Green
Green · Scented

Jasmine Green

Layered with fresh blossom overnight, then dried.Film coming soon
Pearl Green
Green · Rolled

Pearl Green

Hand-rolled pellets that unfurl in the pot.Film coming soon
Saffron White
White · Rarest

Saffron White

Unopened buds, withered in shade. Nothing else.Film coming soon

The high grown

Darjeeling & White

Grown between 600 and 2,100 metres, where cold nights slow the bush and concentrate the aromatics.

Darjeeling Loose Leaf Tea, First Flush | GI Tagged Spring Harvest
From Rs. 1,349.00 · 250 g

First Flush

Spring pluck, pale and floralView tea ›
Darjeeling Loose Leaf Tea, Second Flush | GI Tagged Muscatel Black Tea
From Rs. 1,247.00 · 250g

Second Flush

Summer pluck, muscatel and amberView tea ›
Loose Leaf White Tea with Saffron | Kashmiri Saffron White Tea
From Rs. 749.00 · 50g

Saffron White

Silver needle with Kashmiri saffronView tea ›

The strong brew

CTC & Masala

Assam plains leaf, rolled and torn for a fast, deep-coloured cup that carries milk and spice.

Strong Chai Leaves for Kadak Chai | Diamond Assam CTC Loose Leaf
From Rs. 530.00 · 500 g

Diamond CTC

Everyday strength, bright liquorView tea ›
Premium Chai Leaves for Milk Tea | Platina Assam CTC with Saffron
From Rs. 849.00 · 500 g

Platina CTC

Premium grade, heavier bodyView tea ›
Loose Leaf Masala Chai | Special Spiced Chai Leaves, Kolkata Recipe
From Rs. 569.00 · 500 g

Special Masala Chai

Whole spice, ground in small batchesView tea ›

The gentle cup

Green & Scented

Pan-fired and steamed leaf, plus the scented lots that take three nights of jasmine to finish.

Loose Leaf Green Tea, Whole Leaf | Marvel Everyday Green Tea Leaves
From Rs. 720.00 · 250g

Marvel Green

Clean, grassy, low astringencyView tea ›
Jasmine Loose Leaf Tea | Real Blossom Scented Jasmine Green Tea
From Rs. 770.00 · 250g

Jasmine Green

Scented over three nights of blossomView tea ›
High Quality Loose Leaf Green Tea | Pearl Hand Rolled Green Tea
From Rs. 715.00 · 250g

Green Tea Pearls

Hand-rolled, unfurls as it steepsView tea ›

Kolkata, since 1988

We have been buying leaf for thirty-eight years

It began in 1988 as Unique Tea Centre, a partnership firm trading loose leaf from a counter at 12/2 Lindsay Street, beside New Market in Kolkata. That house later incorporated as Unik Tea Centre Private Limited, and Brew Your Sip is the brand registered under it. The people who cup the lots are the people who pack your pouch.

1988Trading since
11Teas on the shelf
48 hPacked to dispatch
Mr Ashok Shah, founder
Mr Ashok Shah, founderOpened the counter at 12/2 Lindsay Street in 1988Unique Tea Centre on Google ↗
Read our full story
1988

Unique Tea Centre opens

Mr Ashok Shah opens a counter at 12/2 Lindsay Street, beside New Market in central Kolkata, buying garden lots at the auction and selling loose leaf over the counter.

1996

Learning the gardens

Buying moves upstream. Instead of bidding blind on catalogue lots we start visiting Assam and the Darjeeling hills, tasting at the factory before the leaf ever reaches auction.

2009

Our own blends

The masala is ground in-house from whole spice, folded into CTC in small batches. The recipe has not changed since.

2024

Brew Your Sip

The firm incorporates as Unik Tea Centre Private Limited and Brew Your Sip is registered under it — the same trade leaf, packed small and sent direct to your address.

Today

Sealed within 48 hours

Nothing sits in a warehouse waiting for an order. We pack against what you buy, seal it, and ship it tracked across India.

The liquor

Colour is
altitude, poured.

Assam's low, hot gardens build thick cell walls and heavy tannin — the cup runs deep copper and takes milk without flinching. Darjeeling's thin mountain air slows growth to a crawl, concentrating aromatics instead of bulk. The result pours pale gold and must be drunk clean.

RegionDarjeeling
Water85°C
Steep2 min

Side by side

Two gardens, one plant, opposite results.

Assam

45 – 120 m · Brahmaputra floodplain

Liquor
Deep copper, near-mahogany
Body
Full, brisk, coating
Note
Malt, cocoa, baked bread
Leaf
Broad, dark, golden-tipped
Harvest
Second flush, May – June
Takes milk
Yes — built for it

Darjeeling

600 – 2,100 m · Himalayan ridge

Liquor
Pale champagne gold
Body
Light, brisk, astringent edge
Note
Muscatel, stone fruit, wildflower
Leaf
Small, wiry, silver-tipped
Harvest
First flush, Mar – Apr
Takes milk
No — never

The catalogue

15 teas. One standard.

Every lot is bought at auction or direct from the garden, packed in Kolkata, and shipped within forty-eight hours of your order.

darjeeling loose leaf teaDarjeeling Loose Leaf Tea, First Flush | GI Tagged Spring Harvest - Brew Your Sip

Darjeeling Loose Leaf Tea, First Flush | GI Tagged Spring Harvest

First Flush is the earliest Darjeeling loose leaf tea of the year, plucked between late February and April from estates sitting between 600 and 2,000 metres in West Bengal. These are the...

Rs. 1,349.00from250 g · 500 g · 1 kg
assam ctcHands holding three Brew Your Sip CTC chai sampler pouches

Loose Leaf Chai Tea Sampler | 3 Assam CTC Chai Leaves Trial Pack

A loose leaf chai sampler: three of our Assam CTC chai leaves in 20g pouches, enough to brew eight to ten cups of each and actually decide which one you want by...

Rs. 399.00from
darjeeling loose leaf teaDarjeeling Loose Leaf Tea, Second Flush | GI Tagged Muscatel Black Tea - Brew Your Sip

Darjeeling Loose Leaf Tea, Second Flush | GI Tagged Muscatel Black Tea

Second Flush is the summer harvest of Darjeeling loose leaf tea, picked in June and July from GI certified estates at 600 to 2,000 metres, and for most drinkers it is the...

Rs. 1,247.00from250g · 500g · 1kg
assam ctcPremium Chai Leaves for Milk Tea | Platina Assam CTC with Saffron - Brew Your Sip

Premium Chai Leaves for Milk Tea | Platina Assam CTC with Saffron

Platina is a premium grade of Assam chai leaves, sold as whole CTC pellets for people who want more from a daily cup of milk chai. The leaf is sourced from select...

Rs. 849.00from500 g · 1 kg
cardamom ginger cinnamonLoose Leaf Masala Chai | Special Spiced Chai Leaves, Kolkata Recipe - Brew Your Sip

Loose Leaf Masala Chai | Special Spiced Chai Leaves, Kolkata Recipe

Special Masala Chai is loose leaf chai blended to a recipe our family has been selling over the counter in Kolkata for forty years. Premium Assam CTC chai leaves are combined with...

Rs. 569.00from500 g · 1 kg
gift teaLoose Leaf White Tea with Saffron | Kashmiri Saffron White Tea - Brew Your Sip

Loose Leaf White Tea with Saffron | Kashmiri Saffron White Tea

Loose leaf white tea with saffron is the rarest thing we sell. Hand picked white tea buds, the least processed leaf of the tea plant, are paired with real saffron threads from...

Rs. 749.00from50g · 100g · 250g · 500g
antioxidant teaLoose Leaf Green Tea, Whole Leaf | Marvel Everyday Green Tea Leaves - Brew Your Sip

Loose Leaf Green Tea, Whole Leaf | Marvel Everyday Green Tea Leaves

Marvel is our everyday loose leaf green tea: whole leaf, open style, from high elevation Indian estates where cooler temperatures slow the growth of the plant and concentrate flavour in the leaf....

Rs. 720.00from250g · 500g · 1kg
assam ctcStrong Chai Leaves for Kadak Chai | Diamond Assam CTC Loose Leaf - Brew Your Sip

Strong Chai Leaves for Kadak Chai | Diamond Assam CTC Loose Leaf

Diamond is the everyday grade of Assam chai leaves we sell most of. Sourced from Assam gardens and processed by the CTC method, these small tightly rolled pellets infuse fast and give...

Rs. 530.00from500 g · 1 kg
blue pea teaHands holding three Brew Your Sip mint, chamomile and blue pea sampler pouches

Loose Leaf Spearmint and Chamomile Tea | Mint, Chamomile, Blue Pea

A loose leaf spearmint and chamomile tea set: dried spearmint blended into green tea, pure chamomile flowers, and blue butterfly pea. One for after meals, one for before bed, and one for...

Rs. 449.00from
blue pea teaHands holding three Brew Your Sip wellness sampler pouches

Loose Leaf Chamomile Tea Sampler | Rose, Chamomile, Blue Pea Trio

A loose leaf chamomile tea set with two companions: pure dried chamomile flowers, a rose scented green, and blue butterfly pea. Rose Green Tea contains caffeine from its green tea base. Pure...

Rs. 449.00from
darjeeling loose leaf teaHands holding three Brew Your Sip Darjeeling sampler pouches above a table set for tea

Darjeeling Loose Leaf Tea Sampler | First Flush, Second Flush, Jasmine

A Darjeeling loose leaf tea sampler: first flush and second flush side by side in 20g pouches, plus a jasmine green as a lighter third. Tasting the two flushes against each other...

Rs. 449.00from
giftHands holding three Brew Your Sip green tea sampler pouches

Loose Leaf Green Tea Sampler | 3 Whole Leaf Green Teas Trial Pack

A loose leaf green tea sampler: three whole leaf green teas in 20g pouches, so you can taste a hand rolled pearl, an open leaf everyday green and a blossom scented jasmine...

Rs. 399.00from
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Not sure where to start

Six trial packs, three teas in each.

Enough leaf to brew each one properly several times over — the only honest way to find out which garden suits your morning.

Read the label

What SFTGFOP1 actually means.

The most intimidating string on any tea tin is really just six adjectives stacked back to front. Tap a letter.

Tap a letter to begin

Grades describe leaf appearance and tip content — not flavour, and not quality in the cup. A humble broken-leaf Assam can outperform a showy full-leaf grade.

The method

Brew it the way the garden intended.

Loose leaf, filtered water, and a timer. Nothing else required.

Tea Leaf / 200 ml Water Steep Re-steeps
Assam Second Flush 4 – 5 g 95 °C 3 – 4 min 1 – 2
Darjeeling First Flush 3 g 85 °C 2 – 3 min 2 – 3
Darjeeling Second Flush 3.5 g 90 °C 3 min 2
Assam CTC / Masala Chai 5 g Rolling boil 4 – 5 min —
Green · Marvel, Jasmine, Pearls 3 g 75 – 80 °C 2 min 3
Saffron White 3 g 70 – 75 °C 4 – 5 min 2 – 3

Water over 90 °C scorches a first flush and strips the muscatel. If you own one kettle, boil it and wait ninety seconds before pouring on Darjeeling.

From the journal

Notes from the cupping table

What we are tasting, how a grade is decided, and the small things that change a cup.

All posts

Provenance

Every lot, traced to a slope.

Upper Assam

≈ 90 m · Second flush

River silt and ninety percent humidity. Golden tips, malt-forward, built for a strong morning cup.

Darjeeling Ridge

≈ 1,850 m · First flush

Picked in cloud. Slow growth, tight silver tips, and the wildflower lift only altitude produces.

Mid-Hill Garden

≈ 1,200 m · Second flush

The muscatel band. Warmer than the ridge, cooler than the plain — stone fruit and a rounded finish.