Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Description:
The legendary breakfast tea from the upper Assam valley of India. Full-flavored, rich and chewy with notes of caramel and malt, this tea is bright and coppery in the cup and makes a great wake-up any time of day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve consumed many excellent cups of Assam tea over the years, but I can think of none that I have enjoyed more than this one. And that, in no way, is intended to take away from any of the delicious Assam teas that I have tried. Those that I’ve reviewed positively have been just as good as I described, and I enjoyed each of those immensely. But, I do believe that this one is my favorite. This one… is the KING of Assam tea.
It has many of the characteristics that one would expect from an Assam – it is rich, full-bodied and deliciously flavorful. It has a very strong malty tone to it, and a complementing caramel undertone. Sweet, but not too sweet.
This is a remarkably bright Assam – it doesn’t taste muddled or heavy or thick the way some Assam teas can taste. While it is a very full-flavored tea, it maintains a certain purity to it; a cleaner, more vibrant taste that doesn’t inundate the palate with that heavy sensation of “clutter” that can sometimes accompany an Assam tea. Even with a chewy, sweet, caramel-y malty Assam like this, my palate doesn’t feel overpowered by these heavy flavors. It finishes clean with a moderate astringency. The aftertaste is sweet with hints of fruit.
For the purposes of this review, I consumed the cup without additions, and it is delicious this way. It is also marvelous with a splash of milk or cream, which enhances the malty and caramel-y notes and gives it a very decadent, cozy creaminess.
Truly a remarkable Assam.
