Now Reading: Assam’s traditional apong rice wine launches as premium Ti:Po brand
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Assam’s traditional apong rice wine launches as premium Ti:Po brand
Ti:Po, a bottled premium version of Assam’s traditional Mising community rice wine apong, has been launched with 14% alcohol content and a smoky, nutty flavour. Priced at Rs 1,800, it is currently…
The Story in Brief
Ti:Po, a bottled premium version of Assam’s traditional Mising community rice wine apong, has been launched with 14% alcohol content and a smoky, nutty flavour. Priced at Rs 1,800, it is currently available only in Assam. The Hindu reports that the drink is handcrafted by 20 women brewmasters from two self-help groups using over 60 forest botanicals and a patented filtration technology that removes microbes while preserving traditional character.
Co-founders Dipankar Kalita, Abhijit Pegu and singer Joi Barua spent two years standardising the recipe across households. The wine undergoes solid-state fermentation in small batches, with each rice grain acting as its own micro-chamber. Chief winemaker Ajoy Shaw oversees production, which combines traditional Mising craft with modern science.
The Indian Opinion
The launch of Ti:Po is a rare case of indigenous knowledge being scaled without being stripped of its soul. Too often, traditional drinks are either romanticised or industrialised into blandness. Here, the brand has resisted both traps by keeping women brewmasters as custodians and embracing seasonal herb variation rather than forcing uniformity. The real test will be whether Ti:Po can expand beyond Assam without sacrificing the human judgement that defines its character.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
