The First Estate Assam Fine Black Leaf Tea. A distinctive flavorful, full bodied tea. By 1788, The East India Company realized that tea plantations needed to be established in India to break the Chinese monopoly of this vital trade. Tea Plants were introduced to the Calcutta Botanical Gardens and in 1834 the company discovered that "the tea shrub is beyond all doubt indigenous to Upper Assam" The East India Company shipped the first twelve tea chests to London in 1838. The name of this superb Assam blend recalls those pioneering efforts, which led to the phenomenal growth of the tea industry in India. 4/5 in strength.