Trouble is brewing for Assam tea

摘要

The blistering afternoon sun beats down on my face. Normally by this time of day in May, dark clouds would be gathering, preparing for an almighty downpour. But there are no clouds in sight. The lush, green, perfectly manicured tea plants extend as far as my eyes can see. Women are dotted around the plantation, plucking leaves and putting them in baskets on their backs. The work looks gruelling in this heat. And temperatures are only set to rise. Trouble is brewing in the plantations of Assam - the world's largest tea-growing region, famous for its strong "breakfast" tea. Assam has a hot, humid climate with temperatures already at the upper end of the optimum range for tea growing. As the climate warms, the tea crops here come under ever greater stress. This is compounded by changing rainfall patterns.