Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: TeaVert
Product Description:
This tea has large elegant leaves with golden tips, and it is an orthodox rolled black tea. Golden tips, or buds on the leaves, increase the sweetness of the tea. Larger-leaf teas are generally rarer and twice as expensive to produce.
TGFOP translates to Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. Teas from Khongea tea estate are always rich in flavor, deeper, and malted.
Taster’s Review:
Awesome!
I love writing about tea (obviously, right?) but it becomes a true JOY when I have a tea such as this about which to write. This tea is one of the very best Assam teas that I’ve ever tasted.
It has a robust flavor that is very malty. One of the maltiest teas I’ve yet to encounter. It is a very rich and delicious tea. It has real GUSTO and is strong enough to get me going in the morning. There is some astringency at the tail, but because of the malty flavor that seems to coat the palate, the astringency does not effect the palate in the same way as some other black teas might. Interesting … and delightful!
There is a chewy flavor and texture to this tea that most Assam teas that I’ve tasted only hint toward but this one really delivers. It has a baked quality to it and it would be delightful to serve along with freshly baked scones! It would actually compliment the deliciously biscuit-y character of the scones quite nicely.
Many add milk and honey to their Assam, and this one would take those additions very well. I am finding it equally as nice without the milk and just a little honey, which brings out some of the sweeter, underlying qualities (lovely caramel-like tones mingling with the malty taste!) of the Assam which are a little hard to detect without the sweetener. But if you’re looking for strong, edgy tea goodness, serve this one straight!
On the package, the steeping parameters suggested by TeaVert are four to five minutes, but I found that three minutes is a much better time for this Assam. The first time I tasted it, I steeped it at four minutes and I detected notes of bitterness. This time, I steeped it at just three minutes, and no bitterness whatsoever! It’s perfect!
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from TeaVert … and it’s a good one! With a starting point such as this, it makes me eager to want to try other teas they offer! Delicious!
It’s interesting what you say about brewing the tea for only 3 minutes. I got a big order from the Assam Tea Company and on all their packets, they say to brew for no more than 3 minutes. After that it becomes bitter. And it does.