Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
A Mokalbari Estate GFOP Assam blended with freeze-dried apple pieces, and organic apple and brandy flavors. This rich Assam base has a long and wiry leaf style with some golden tips and makes a beautiful cuppa with the hints of apple and brandy.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow, this review is scheduled to publish mid-January and I’m just now getting into my December teas from 52Teas! Time to get with it!
I steeped this tea in my trusty Breville One-Touch. I love this machine! I measured 2 bamboo scoops of tea into the basket (these were heaping scoops because the pieces of apple are large and took up a considerable amount of space in the scoop!) and I measured 500ml of water into the jug. Then I set the parameters: 2 minutes (it’s an Assam so I use a little less time) and 205°F (again, with an Assam, I take the temperature down from 212° to 205°).
At first I wasn’t too sure about this tea. I wasn’t really picking up on any flavors at all.
I could taste the Assam. It tasted like a wine-like Assam to me – then again, that could just be the Brandy flavoring playing games with my palate – but I can taste a wine-like taste to this and not so much a malty tone.
I do taste some malt, just not as much as I typically do with an Assam. I really like the base, though, because it’s a rich and full-flavored tea. It’s very enjoyable and has a really good flavor to it.
I’m not a big alcohol drinker, as I’ve confessed many times (I’m a TEA-totaler) so I can’t really tell you that what I’m tasting is definitely brandy. But I do taste a wine-like/brandy-like flavor to this and this flavor develops as I continue to sip.
Because as I said at the start of this review, I wasn’t too sure about this tea. It took a while for the palate to start picking up on the flavors of this tea. After a short cooling time and as I now continue to sip (I’m now halfway through my mug of tea), I’m tasting more flavors that taste of brandy/wine.
And I can taste the apple too! The apple notes started to really pop after drinking about 1/4 of my cup of tea. The flavor is sweet and crisp and I like the way it melds with the brandy and Assam.
This is tasty!
