Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: SpecialTea Brew
Company Description:
Ingredients: Assam Black Tea
Taster’s Review:
This is an absolutely wonderful Assam tea.
It is full-flavored with a crisp, pure taste that I don’t normally associate with Assam teas. Ordinarily, an Assam tea is brisk with a malty characteristic and a strong, pungent edge. This tea is also brisk and malty, and has a strong pungency, but, it isn’t quite as edgy as some Assam teas can be. It has an undercurrent of smoothness to it that is sweet and caramel-y and this curbs some of the edgier notes that I often get with an Assam.
Assam teas – that is, most Assam teas – while they are sweet and delicious in their own way, they can become a bit bitter if they are left to brew too long. It isn’t often that I come across an Assam with a little less of that “grumpy” edge to it.
That is not to say I dislike the grumpier, edgier Assam teas – I’m quite fond of them too, because they have their own charm to them. But it IS nice to come across an Assam that is smoother and sweeter – and this Assam IS smoother, sweeter, and has made me rethink what “Assam” tea means! I like it when a tea challenges me this way.
And I like this tea!
It is delicious hot or iced. A drizzle of honey will highlight the caramel-y tones to the tea, but, it is quite good without the sweetener too. And while I usually take my Assam tea with a splash of milk, this one doesn’t need the dairy to soften it – it’s the teddy bear of Assam teas! It is comforting yet bold – lovely!