Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Begin your day with tons of energy with “Kick in the Cup” tea. This basic Black Tea offers a kick in your tea cup with a strong and malty flavor and offers twice the caffeine as most other teas. You will be full of energy, alert and on top of your game all day with one cup of this amazing tea. Enjoy its richness and malt all on its own or add your favorite sugar stick to give it even more of a boost! Give yourself the energy and drive you need to make it through the day with “Kick in the Cup” tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This tea is definitely a Kick in the … err … a … cup! It really has some gusto to it, perfect for those days when you have to wake up but you don’t want to. I know that on days like that, even the most devout tea drinkers might turn to coffee – and coffee is bad, m’kay? (spoken with Mr. Mackey’s voice from South Park there … and I’m just kidding, m’kay? I personally can’t drink coffee because it does terrible stuff to my stomach, but, I’m not trying to incite a tea vs. coffee thing here. Tea is just better, m’kay?)
OK, ok… enough with the South Park talk.
This tea is definitely hefty, and yet at the same time has a very appealing smoothness and roundness to it. It is deliciously rich and malty, and has that flavor that I crave in the morning.
It doesn’t taste bitter, and while it does have a fair amount of dry astringency to it, I don’t find this to be too astringent. It’s just bold and delicious, with a strong, bracing flavor and pleasant undertone of sweetness. I’m loving this tea.
I found it most palatable with a half a teaspoon of coconut sugar to enhance the sweetness a little, and soften the effects of the astringency. It is tasty without anything added, but, I prefer it with just a bit of coconut sugar (by the way, in case you’ve not tried it – coconut sugar doesn’t really add a coconut-y flavor to anything you add it to, it’s just become an alternative to overly processed sugar. I think it’s better for you too, although, I’m no health expert). This tea also takes the addition of milk or cream well, if you like your tea like that.
And, perhaps most importantly with the case of this tea… it is not only delicious but I think that I can already start to feel the jump start it’s given me! My fingers are moving a little faster, and I feel myself needing to get up and get busy … so I think I’ll close this review for now.
If you’re looking for a KICK in your cup, you really should try this tea!
Organic Fair Trade Assam from Hampstead Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Hampstead Tea
Tea Description:
A uniquely strong, full bodied malty tea from the sun drenched region of Assam.
Ingredients: Fairtrade black tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Do you ever wake in the morning, only to wish that you could sleep longer? Of course! Don’t we all? Truth be told, I experience that just about every morning!
On the days when I can’t hit the snooze button, this is the kind of tea that I need in my tea cup. It is a strong, stout kind of tea, with plenty of gusto to help me wake up and get focused.
This full-bodied cup has a rich, malty character, and takes the addition of milk and honey quite well, if you care to add them. These additions will help take that Assam “edge” off just a little. I find this to be quite enjoyable without additions, as well. Very bold and spirited, yes, but sometimes, that’s just what I want from a tea. This one delivers.
I do recommend exercising caution when brewing this tea, though. I found that 2 minutes is the perfect time for this tea … any longer and you may wind up with a cup with a bitter bite to it. Assam tea is celebrated for its strength and rich flavor, but not for its forgiving nature!
This is the kind of Assam that you want to have on hand for when you need that extra push in the morning! One of the strongest Assam teas that I’ve yet to encounter!
Rainforest Alliance Certified – Strong Black Tea from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Product Description:
Uplifting brew with earthy aroma and hints of black cherries and warm cane sugar.
You can learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m loving this tea.
But, I must be honest, I was a little disappointed by it at first. And I think that disappointed is too strong a word for how I felt. I think I was mislead by the name of the tea “Strong Black Tea” to me indicates that I’m about to taste something incredibly bold, with a hefty taste and texture. Something to give you that sharp kick in the buns that is needed on those mornings that you don’t want to get going. I don’t think that this tea would accomplish that, because it isn’t as strong (at least, not to me) as the name would suggest.
But that is not to say that this tea isn’t exquisite, because it IS! It is a truly delicious tea that merely suffers from a misnomer, which after perusing The Tao of Tea’s website, I notice there is also a “Light” Black Tea from the Rainforest Alliance collection, so perhaps the strong is in comparison to the light, and not so much strong compared to other black teas outside of the Rainforest Alliance collection.
But that’s enough about that. Let me get to telling you about what makes this tea so delicious. With the first couple of sips, I noticed a similarity to an Oolong tea. It has that soft mouthfeel that I might experience from an Oolong, as well as a hint of vegetative flavor that hits the palate right about mid-sip. There is also a chocolate flavor – like bitter chocolate – that hits the palate at almost the same time, and these two notes provide a very savory tone that is quite appealing, and I think essential to the palate at about this moment in the sip, because the overall flavor of this tea is quite reminiscent of raw sugar cane. Sweet with an undertone of molasses. Let me put it this way: my sweet tooth right now is very happy!
The description suggests these notes of “warm cane sugar” (if you’re one who automatically sweetens a tea before trying it I suggest not doing that with this tea – taste it first, I found that this is pleasantly sweet without any sweetener) and also it suggests notes of black cherry. And I am getting those fruit tones as well, but it isn’t a syrupy kind of cherry flavor, this is more like a hint of fruit off somewhere in the distance. As I attempted to describe it on Steepster: “it is more of a insinuation of cherry that doesn’t quite become fully recognized.” It is there, but, then again, is it?
While I’m loving the smooth sweetness of this tea, I’m also noticing a rustic edge to it too. There is some astringency, it is fairly mild and slightly dry. And while this tea isn’t the strong, hearty tea that I was expecting, I am glad that I was mislead … or shall I say, pleasantly surprised? … by this one because I’m liking it just the way it is.
Assam Satrupa FTGFOP1 from Element Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Element Tea
Product Description:
Estate-grown Assams grow at a higher altitude, giving them a depth of flavor suitable for drinking anytime of day. Maltier than other types of tea, the Assam’s strong and weighty flavor goes well with the addition of lemon, milk, or sugar. (FTGFOP1 stands for “Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – Grade 1”)
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the “heftiest” Assam teas I’ve come across! It has a biscuit-y taste to it, like freshly baked bread and a texture to match. This one would definitely make a great breakfast tea … even if you don’t eat breakfast! (Note: I’m not advising anyone to skip breakfast! I am just acknowledging that some of us do!)
There is a remarkable caramel-like sweetness to this tea and it isn’t just an undertone. It is a sweetness that makes its presence known throughout the sip. It is very malty – one of the maltiest Assam teas I’ve tasted.
It also has a mere hint of savory bitterness that hits just at mid-sip and seems to disappear just as quickly as it appears, making this taster question whether its really there or just my imagination! This is a bold, hefty Assam that is just right for that “first cup of the morning.”
While the brewing parameters from Element Tea suggested a four minute brew time, I only steeped it for three minutes. It is almost like an automatic mindset: Assam Tea? Three minutes. I have found that when I venture into the “beyond three minutes” realm with Assam tea there is bitterness to the cup. I sipped it without any addition and found it to be quite lovely: bold and daring, with a sharp edge that is just right for the first cup of the day. I have also tasted this tea with a drizzle of honey, and it’s quite nice with sweetener. I find it softens some of that sharp edge I mentioned previously. Milk would also be a nice addition.
This is one of those “practically perfect” Assam teas that makes a practically perfect breakfast tea! It’s amazing!
Strong Assam from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Fair Trade Certified & Organic Black Tea
This lowland tea known for its rich aroma and strong, malty flavor is named after its origin, Assam, in North-East India. Our Strong Assam tea is cultivated at the famous Rembeng Estate, a 100% organic tea garden and the pioneering organic estate in the region, making their teas highly sought after. Dark and copper-colored, it is a full-bodied broken leaf black tea that is great for lovers of a strong morning cup of tea. The rich flavors are accentuated by adding milk and sugar.
Taster’s Review:
W0w! When they say strong, they mean STRONG! This is one seriously bold, in-your-face Assam!
This is a bold and robust tea, but, there is a lot more going on than just mere strength. It has such a lovely complexity to it. There are delicious undertones of sweetness that remind me of caramelized fruit. This is a note that comes through on the aroma, and carries through to the sip: when I first inhaled the fragrance, I could smell the distinctive caramel scent, and then upon tasting – DELICIOUS!
There are also hints of fruit and spice, as well as a very malty quality to this tea – the combination of the malt and caramel is quite yummy. This combination is further enhanced with a splash of milk as it lends a creaminess to the malt and caramel.
I recommend careful steeping parameters with this one. You don’t need to use a little extra leaf because this tea is plenty strong without it, in fact, you might find that it’s too strong with extra leaf. So I recommend using just 1 teaspoon for your first tasting, and then experimenting to find your perfect cuppa. Also, watch your timer carefully! 2 1/2 minutes is the perfect time for this tea (at least, for me!) but don’t go over 3 minutes for your first tasting, as it will become bitter.
This is delicious hot or iced, but I prefer it hot, it is a delightful “cold, foggy morning” kind of tea! It helps you clear the fog in your head after a not-so-great night’s sleep (or even if you’ve had a good one!) If you’d rather head back to bed, but can’t because you’ve got to “seize the day” – this tea will get you headed in that direction! This tea has got bite to it, so if you need to soften that edge, a little drizzle of agave nectar will do the trick.
An excellent Assam!