Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tea Description:
In the early 1800s cheap tea was flavoured with bergamot by unscrupulous tea merchants and sold as expensive tea. Little did they know then that they were giving birth to one of the most popular flavoured teas of Britain. Not to worry, there is nothing remotely cheap about our Earl grey. We bring you the finest blends of Assam tea with the best of Italian bergamot to transport you straight into your own little Earldom. Earl Grey with the Queen anyone?
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! Earl Grey! I do a mental happy dance every time I encounter a new-to-me Earl Grey tea. And given as happy as I have been with the teas that I’ve tried thus far from Tea People, I was very excited to try this Assam Earl Grey Black Tea from them.
When I opened the pouch, I could smell the strong, distinct aroma of bergamot. The bergamot fragrance here is strong, but, not quite as strong as some other Earl Grey teas I’ve had … If I had a scale on which I judged the bergamot levels, with five being the strongest I’ve ever experienced and 1 being next to no noticeable bergamot scent, I’d rate this one a three. A medium amount of bergamot bouquet.
And I think that is right about where the bergamot flavor rates here too. Maybe a wee bit higher… closer to 3 1/2. It’s not an overpowering bergamot essence. It’s tangy and bright, with some hints of citrus-y sweetness. I do like the way the bergamot melds with the notes of the Assam … I think that Assam is one of the best black tea base choices for bergamot because the two complement each other very well.
The real star here is the malty, rich Assam tea. It is a bold, robust tasting tea with lots of pleasing malty notes. I’m only guessing here, but, I think it’s a pretty safe guess that the people at the Tea People company used this Assam as the base for this tea. This tastes as smooth and rounded as I remember that tea tasting, although I’m experiencing fewer of those “wine-like” qualities here, perhaps the presence of the bergamot melds with those wine-y fruit notes? I don’t know.
What I do know is that this cup vanished before I knew it … which is a pretty good indicator that the tea is the good stuff. If I finish a cup well before I finish writing the review – that tells me that I just had a really good cup of tea that I couldn’t put down long enough to type out a few words. It also tells me that it’s time for another cup of tea!
And not only does Tea People offer some of the best teas I’ve tasted lately, but they also are currently hosting an indiegogo campaign to raise funds to assist the tea garden workers of Darjeeling and their families. What a great cause! Please consider contributing, time is running out!
Assam Black Tea from English Tea Store
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: English Tea Store
Tea Description:
The Assam Tea blend from English Tea Store contains only the finest Assam tea for this product. This is a strong tea, and makes a great start to the day. Our pure Assam tea has a deep bronze color and strong malty flavor. It is very refreshing drink for any time of day. We recommend this tea be served hot with milk and a little sugar, but it is also delicious served with lemon or it can be used to make iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Assam Black Tea from English Tea Store is a seriously hearty black tea … or as my father would say: It’ll put hair on your chest. Hopefully, it won’t put hair on my chest. I would hate to have to explain how it got there to my cosmetologist.
Whether or not it will actually cause hair to sprout where it wouldn’t normally, this tea definitely does have some gusto. It’s a good, strong black tea – the kind of tea you want to serve first thing in the morning when you need that extra burst of energy most.
This is one of those really rich, malty Assam teas. It has nice caramel-y undertones, and would take to the addition of milk and honey very well. This makes a really good latte! Another suggestion: swap out your normal teaspoon to stir this tea with a cinnamon stick. This won’t add a super strong cinnamon taste … just a touch of cinnamon goodness. It’s quite lovely.
Because this is a finely chopped CTC loose leaf, I would recommend keeping that in mind and reducing the steep time. If you would normally steep an Assam tea for 2 1/2 minutes in boiling water, for example, I’d go with just 2 minutes with this tea. After steeping for 2 1/2 minutes, I am noticing some bitterness to this. Not too much, but, I think that the next time I’m steeping this tea, I’ll cut it back to 2 minutes in boiling water to eliminate that bitter note.
Keyhung Assam Black Tea from Darlene’s Tea Port
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Darlene’s Tea Port
Tea Description:
Strong full bodied tea with excellent maltiness and rich color.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this Keyhung Assam Black Tea from Darlene’s Tea Port is a CTC leaf. Neither the dry leaf nor the brewed tea has a very strong aroma, just a slight leathery note.
But the flavor is robust! It’s got that bold flavor that I want in an Assam – something that will give you that strong kick in the butt when you need it. This tea will shake the sleepy right out of you.
It’s not a real “malty” Assam, although there are some malty tones to it. I would call this more like a wine-y Assam with fruit notes and a fair amount of dry astringency. It’s sweet with a thick texture, and the aftertaste is clean.
An enjoyable Assam, one that would hold up well to the addition of milk and honey, if you like that in your breakfast tea.
Desi Masala Chai Blend from Tea People
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tea Description:
A robust, full flavoured malty Assam blended with traditional spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and ginger.
When tea was first grown in India to break Chinese monopoly on tea, it was not a popular beverage among the locals. The usual practice was to drink ‘kadha’ instead which was water and milk boiled with spices (as was recommended according to the Ayurveda, an ancient alternative medicinal system based in India). The Indian Tea association (at that time under the British) promoted tea among them in the preferred British way by adding a little milk and sugar. However Indian vendors began adding tea to the kadha they drank already. Although the Tea association at that time frowned at this practice as this reduced the usage (and thus the purchase) of tea leaves, the practice stuck and Chai tea was born! A perfect morning tea or a tea for a busy day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Desi Masala Chai Blend from Tea People smells amazing! Even before I started brewing it … the dry leaf smells so spicy and enticing!
And it tastes even better than it smells!
The ingredients of this chai are the “usual” suspects:
Premium Assam black tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves .
But they are blended perfectly! The black tea base is an Assam, and it is rich and malty. It has a full, robust flavor that provides a perfect platform for the spices to express themselves. I love that I can taste notes of each spice in each sip and that it’s not all about one spice or the other. They aren’t competing with one another, they’re complementing each other.
The spices are strong and flavorful, but it isn’t TOO spicy. It’s spicy … but this cup isn’t all about the heat. I can taste the complexity of the spices. I’m getting the peppery tones … but I can even taste some of the sweeter notes of the ginger! The cinnamon is a sweeter cinnamon but I get some heat from it too. But this isn’t that red-hot candy cinnamon flavor. It tastes true to the spice. I’m tasting some of the eucalyptus notes of the cardamom and some of the warm, zesty flavor of the clove.
It’s a collective of all the spices, but even though I can taste the individual notes, there is a seamlessness about the flavor too. It is a very beautiful marriage of warm and sweet spices.
This chai tastes amazing served straight up with no additions, but it also makes an amazing latte. You can brew it stovetop in a 1:1 ratio of milk and water, or you can brew it at a concentrated strength in water and then add a splash of warmed milk after the brewing process is complete. I prefer the latter because it means less mess in the kitchen and I’m all for that!
I do recommend a little bit of sweetener to accentuate the spices. I recommend using either raw honey or turbinado sugar (I prefer the turbinado sugar because I love how the hints of molasses to the sugar meld with the sweeter tones of the spices!) You don’t NEED the sweetener to experience the spices, though, but, I find that sugar and spice is very nice!
A really great chai! I’m loving the teas from Tea People!
Also, please check out Tea People’s indiegogo fundraising campaign to help tea garden workers!
Malty Assam Black Tea from Tea People
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tea Description:
This tea is from the premium tea gardens of Assam. Historically China had a monopoly on the tea trade but the British wanted to be able to control it. China was fiercely protective of her tea, so many adventures and an industrial espionage later, the British were able to finally get some tea to plant in Assam in British India.
Taste the adventure and romance in this smooth and dark Assam. Malty and well rounded enough to go with milk and sugar if desired. It would certainly be the one to wake you up in the mornings! And to make it easier for you, we’ve even had this luxury whole leaf tea packed into special handcrafted pyramid teabags which have been individually foil wrapped at source to maintain its freshness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s a happy moment when I come across a new Assam tea for me to try. I enjoy many different types of black tea, however, Assam is one of my favorites. I love that rich, malty flavor of an Assam. And this Assam from Tea People is called Malty Assam! You know I’m going to love it, right?
This is a wonderful Assam. Rich and malty? Yes! Of course it is. It has a very smooth and well rounded taste. It’s a full-flavored, energizing Assam.
The steeping parameters from Tea People recommend 3 – 4 minutes in near boiling to boiling water. Instead, I brewed this in boiling water for just 2 1/2 minutes. Based on my own personal experience with Assam, I find that longer than 2 1/2 minutes results in a slightly bitter tasting tea. This doesn’t happen with all Assam teas, but, it’s happened enough in the past so I’m cautious with this often temperamental tea. But because Assam tastes so good, it’s worth the little bit of extra work, you know? And I’m not tasting any bitterness to this cup.
This is one of those Assam teas that balances between “malty” and “wine-y” flavors. I get lots of the sweet, malty notes, but I’m also tasting a black currant note toward the finish. There is a dry astringency at the finish which accentuates the “wine-like” quality of this tea.
I enjoyed this served hot, straight with no additions. But, it is one of those teas that turns into a latte really well, so if you like a morning latte, don’t be afraid to add a little bit of milk and honey to this if you like it that way! An excellent choice for your morning cuppa!