This tea came from the February 2017 Tea Club box from Bruu Tea. Unfortunately I got a little backlogged due to a hellish couple of months. While this tea is not for sale on the website, it may be in the near future.
Thanks to the card I have a little more information on this blend:
A careful blend of Assam and Kenyan black teas are mixed with a sprinkle of calming Safflower petals to produce a wonderful, full bodied tasting tea with a slight mellow astringency. It’s a high-class breakfast tea that should be savoured and enjoyed. Origin: Assam, India (2016 2nd flush) and Kericho, Kenya (2016) grown 6500ft above sea level.
Opening the packet I see the leaves are small and loosely chopped with bright red safflower petals scattered throughout. It bares a strong, sour wood scent.
Brewing Instructions: 1tsp – 100C – 3 minutes
Once steeped the tea is burnt red/orange in colour and bares a sour wood scent, similar to it’s raw form.
The first few sips reveal a rich body with some sourness and a dry finish. Pleasant enough without milk nor sweetener.
The dry aftertaste increases to become moderate, which is perhaps the most negative aspect of the tea. The sour wood is nice though and has some natural sweetness.
It’s a nice, strong tea but I think a splash of milk is probably for the best. It’s too dry for me but the strength is desirable so it just needs a little help to be a great tea. This would be perfect for a breakfast tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bruu Tea (Mayfair is not currently for sale)
Description:
A high-class breakfast tea that should be savoured. A luxury blend of Assam and Kenyan black tea that is produced at over 6500ft above sea level.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Nutty Healthy Butter Pecan Tea Hand Crafted by BlendBee. . .Pecan Assam
This blend is interesting…and healthy! I like healthy teas, who doesn’t? The product description says that it includes black tea, milk thistle seed, dandelion root, eleuthero root, and butter pecan flavor. I was really curious about what all these healthy ingredients do and what they would taste like. Apparently, milk thistle seed is mild and nutty and detoxes, dandelion root is earthy and nutty and also is good for detoxing, and eleuthero root is mild and sweet and is good for detoxification as well. My assessment: this tea is great if you’re looking to detox and also seems to be a good source of energy.
Smelling the dry leaf, I could definitely smell the nuttiness from the herbs and flavoring. Smelling the brewed liquid, marzipan came to mind. I am going to attribute that to butter pecan flavoring. I would describe this tea as woodsy, nutty, light, sweet, and buttery. I think it definitely embraced butter pecan flavor, but also added to it with the sweet and nutty flavors of the herbs.
It’s really interesting because healthy teas do not generally taste good. Oftentimes they taste quite medicinal and you kind of have to gulp them down and then move on. With this blend, I actually enjoyed drinking it. The sweet, nutty, and buttery flavors reminded me of butter pecan ice cream with a hint of woodsy herbs. I definitely recommend this blend whether you are looking for a healthy concoction to drink or not. If you are looking for a detox tea, this is definitely one of the better tasting options for sure. But, if you just want something yummy to give you a boost of energy, this tea with deliver.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
Filled with roots & seeds designed to help cleanse your body and soul. This butter pecan infused Black Assam Tea will be the perfect go to tea after a night of fun, or anytime you want a pick me up.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sensiblyscript’s Take on Lapsang Chai by Bluebird Tea Company. . . .
Steeping specs: One teaspoon at 212 degrees for 4 minutes in 1 cup of water.
This was an exciting idea for a tea. I’ve tried actual lapsang souchong once and couldn’t get through my mugful (maybe it was a bad idea to add milk, but I couldn’t stand it without milk either so I figured it couldn’t hurt anything). It’s not because I don’t like smoky flavors, either. I love smoked meat (I mean, BACON, right?), and I love campfires although it’s true I don’t eat them. But combining smoky tea with other strong spices that I know I like sounds like a very clever idea. I only wish I’d had it. In fact, I think I might have the rest of that sample packet of Lapsang somewhere; maybe I should go experiment with mixing it with various chais.
After steeping for four minutes I took a good whiff–it smells tantalizingly smoky. This could be either a good thing or a problem, as mentioned above. The color is amber-ish–on the light side for a chai, I think (and I do have the unfortunate tendency to judge my tea’s strength by its color! I’ve been known to waaaaay over-steep my tea just because it didn’t look dark enough to me). A few crumbs of leaf have escaped my basket, so maybe I’ll use the finer mesh next time I steep this. What’s really exciting is that although the smell is smoky, I can smell spices too! Cinnamon, ginger, and possibly clove, I think.
First taste: it’s definitely not tasting like liquid smoke here, which is good! The flavor combo is hard to describe, though. The smoky tang and the warmth from the spices hit me at approximately the same time with each sip, which means it really has a kick! It’s not a super spicy chai, though, so if you’re sensitive to spice that probably won’t be a problem (depending on just how sensitive you are, of course. Some people manage to complain of spiciness in foods that taste basically bland to me).
The smokiness combines especially well with the ginger notes for some reason. Does ginger have a smoky component normally? I don’t know. I just know that this tastes really, really good. The smoke lingers a bit after each sip, but like I said, it’s not overpowering.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Description
We like to do things a bit differently at Bluebird. Our latest infusion is a thoughtful blend of Lapsang Souchong, malty Assam + aromatic masala chai spices. A BREWtiful blend of tea + culture alike!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Assam Black Tea from Mana Organics. . . .
In the mornings, I typically drink a cup of two of coffee before I leave the house. For my commute to work, I always bring some form of hot tea and my matcha smoothie. But to get me out of bed-which is no small task- coffee is usually what I drink. (My hubby actually brings me my first cup in bed to help me get up. He is such a sweetheart!) But lately, the coffee just hasn’t tasted right. I recently had the flu and I think my stomach is still a bit wonky from that experience because coffee just hasn’t been hitting those notes for me.
So the other night, I set my kettle up to start prepping my tea so that my hubby could bring me a cup of this Assam first thing in the am. And my taste buds are loving this experience!
This black Assam is malty with a gentle sweet note that combines to become the perfect wake me up cuppa. I really adore the brisk malty notes. They bring a lot of character to the tea and make the mouth feel so silky. I’m also picking up a floral hit now and again and a nutty undertone. A perfect combo first thing in the morning.
For me, this is about the perfect morning cuppa. I think I may have to pick up some of the bagged versions of this tea for an added convenience factor. Plus, my hubby can handle brewing me up a cup of this brisk brew in a bagged form much easier than the loose leaf version. And let’s face it, sometimes my mornings just don’t allow for brewing up loose leaf tea with getting the kiddos work, making sure everybody has their lunch, getting the dog set for the day and so on and so forth. . . .
I do have to end this review with a warning, do mind the steeping parameters. I have found that the tea as lovely as it is, can be a bit unforgiving if you forget that you are steeping your morning cuppa like I did the other day. But with a touch of milk and honey,
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Mana Organics
Description
Brisk, bold, and pure, we grew this organic Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe Assam black tea on our family tea estate, Chota Tingrai (27.458869 N, 95.354856 E). This tea is excellent for waking you in the morning or replacing your afternoon cup of coffee.
In this resealable packet, you find no fillers or dust. Instead you meet a blend of long aureate and black leaves. The golden leaves you see are the fabled tips of Assam. Prized for their complexity of scent and flavor, they are a rare find in any tea. The black leaves are the two leaves plucked next to the bud. These provide a sweet background flavor for taste of the golden tips to dance around in. Both these leaves come from the very tiniest leaves at the very tip of the youngest shoots of the tea bush, and are known as Flowery Orange Pekoe.
When you brew the tea, you can watch the long leaves unfurl. Upon brewing, you smell dates, almonds, and parsley as the liquor blooms a dark rosy red. As you take your first sip of the tea, you meet a flawlessly smooth balance of malt and sweet. While you can add milk and sugar, the honey after-taste will try to dissuade you.
As you savor each drop, you can taste the rich, healthy earth of Assam and the warm, happy pride of the women who plucked the leaf. This tea is both certified and actually 100% organic. We know this because we personally oversee the nurturing of every plant with compost made on our estate, and ensure that no staff uses any chemical pesticide in our organic sections.
We love this tea, the land we grew it on, and the people with whom we grew it. We know you will love it too.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Meleng FTGFOP 1 CL 2nd Flush 2016, Assam Tea from Lochan Tea Limited
Meleng FTGFOP 1 CL 2nd Flush 2016, Assam Tea from Lochan Tea Limited maybe a mouth full to SAY but it’s a wonderful cuppa to SIP on as well! I have to say I have always been partial to Lochan Teas when it comes to their wide selection of estate teas and different flushes especially when it comes to black loose leaf teas. Their catalog of them seems endless!
If you are looking for a very strong black tea that has a lot of character and will provide a LOUD wake-up call in the morning Meleng FTGFOP 1 CL 2nd Flush 2016, Assam Tea from Lochan Tea Limited might be for you! It sure was for me!
The aroma of this dry loose leaf comes across very strong with bold cocoa notes. It infuses to a dark brown and gives off a full, heavy-duty Assam flavor! I can taste the dark yet daring black tea base with those saught-after natural cocoa flavors that move on to the aftertaste, too! The aftertaste is that of a dark cocoa powder and I’m totally LOVING it! Meleng FTGFOP 1 CL 2nd Flush 2016, Assam Tea from Lochan Tea Limited is one heck of a morning wake-up tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Lochan Tea Limited
Description: As I write this post Meleng FTGFOP 1 CL 2nd Flush 2016, Assam Tea from Lochan Tea Limited is not yet on their website but you can check out their entire catalog of offerings HERE.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
