Tea Type:Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Lochan Tea Limited
Product Description:
Unable to locate on their site YET. Might be a NEW addition soon or Limited Time.
Tasters Review:
Never underestimate a GOOD Quality Assam! Yes…this is GOOD…but it’s more than that! It’s DARN GOOD…it’s GREAT even! This is a fabulous tasting Assam! There…I said it! Even tho I was unable to located the product description on their website I am told by the packaging that this is a VERY new tea. The packaging says: Lochan Tea Limited – 27.08.2013 Harmutty STGFOP 1 CL 2nd Flush 2013 Assam.
From the research I have done over the years on the Harmutty Tea Estate – their teas are known for their rich taste. After sipping on this tea for just a moment I would totally agree! The flavor is rich but also malty with highlights of cocoa powder and/or a slight mellow coffee taste (if you over infuse it a bit). It has an impressive Copper Brown color to it in the cup. The after taste leaves a gentle pepper lingering in your mouth and throat.
This is a 2nd Flush you do NOT want to miss! An Assam that is quite Awesome! If you can get your hands on it – don’t pass it up!
Bengal Peach Tea Blend from Tea Xotics
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
The peachy aroma of this tea will make our mouthes water. Orchard fruit meets the Hawaiian tropics. There’s a subtle ginger spice that works really well with the succulent fruits and the unique tea base – Assam and sencha!
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I love the dry leaf of this Bengal Peach Tea Blend from Tea Xotics. Big slivers of dried fruit, pieces of ginger, black and green tea leaves, petals and blossoms all tossed together in a deliciously fragrant blend.
The brewed tea smells of warm peaches with hints of ginger, evoking thoughts of a warm, gently spiced peach dessert. Mmm! The flavor tastes of peach and mango. The ginger flavor is delicate, adding just a touch of warmth rather than a heavy amount of spice. This doesn’t taste overly peppered with ginger … there’s just enough ginger to keep the flavors interesting so that it doesn’t taste too fruity.
The combination of black and green teas adds an appealing background of flavor as well. When brewed at a lower temperature, I find that I can taste both the black and green teas. I brewed this tea at 180°F in my Breville One-Touch – the package parameters suggest a temperature of 185°F but whenever I brew a blend like this in my Breville, I make it a practice to lower the suggested temperature by 5 degrees since the tea maker keeps the water warmer than a teapot would. I steeped the tea for 3 minutes, and I’m very happy with the results.
The black tea tastes lighter than a typical cup of Assam would. I taste a wine-like quality to the tea, and this complements the fruit notes quite nicely. As the tea cools slightly (hot, but not piping hot), I notice some of the malty tones of the black tea emerge. The green tea doesn’t add a lot of notable flavor to the cup, but it lightens the overall flavor and texture. I notice hints of vegetation in the distance, as well as a slight buttery note that works well with the sweet, caramel-y malt notes.
A very tasty blend. It’s delicious hot and also quite nice iced!
Hattialli Golden Lion Assam Tea from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Hattialli Golden Lion Assam originates from the Hattialli Tea Estate in the Dibrugarh District in the South Bank, Assam region of India. The name Hattialli comes from the words “Hatti Alli”, which means Elephant Road. This name came about because of a nearby elephant camp. The Hattialli Tea Estate is known for golden tippy handpicked teas and the balance of briskness and mellowness of their teas. The golden tips of this tea are longer than the black leaves, which imparts a more golden appearance. This phenomenal malty second flush Assam has baked bread and oak notes. Sweet potato and dried apricot notes are also detectable with fleeting lighter floral notes. There is a fruity sweetness and light astringency present in this truly exceptional second flush Assam.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I find myself in total agreement with the last five words of the above description – this Hattialli Golden Lion Assam Tea from Butiki Teas is indeed a truly exceptional second flush Assam. Wow!
When hot, the flavor is sweet and malty. There is a slight caramel-y note to it, reminding me of the flavor of the warm, caramelized edges of a freshly baked loaf of bread. There are hints of woodsy tones, and it is a very cozy, sort of autumnal taste. The kind of flavors you like to warm up to on a chilly autumn day … but, you still find it perfectly alright to cozy up to these flavors on a warm summer morning too!
As the tea begins to cool (slightly … it’s still hot, just not quite as hot as when I first poured the cup) the flavors of sweet apricot begin to emerge. I’ve tasted quite a few Assam teas in my years as a tea drinker, but, I can’t recall such a distinct apricot flavor from a pure Assam as the taste I’m getting from this cup of Assam. It’s remarkable (and YUMMY!)
The description also suggests notes of sweet potato, and I get those too, but, it isn’t as well-defined as the apricot. To me, the apricot really stands out.
There are a lot of great Assam teas out there, and there are definitely a few that I favor over others … this one definitely deserves to be one of those favorites! It’s really good. I would be very happy to start every day with this tea in my cup!
Caramel Vanilla Assam Tea from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Caramel Vanilla Assam pairs our Premium Taiwanese Assam with rich caramel and soft vanilla. The caramel and vanilla notes meld with the tea and almost taste as though they are naturally part of the Assam. Cacao, raisin, and citrus notes can also be detected in this smooth and malty tea. Add a little sugar for a decadent caramel vanilla dessert.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! Mmm! Mmm! This Caramel Vanilla Assam Tea from Butiki Teas is really YUMMY!
I am finding myself in full agreement with the above description … the caramel and vanilla notes DO meld with this tea in such a way that they taste as though they are naturally part of the Assam. Really, these flavors just add to the richness of the tea … giving it a more satisfying roundness, and accentuating the lovely natural sweetness of the Assam. Notes of raisin, freshly baked cookies (you know the caramelized edges of the cookie? Yeah, that part!), hints of chocolate and slight notes of earth are noted. Toward the finish, I pick up on a slight fruit note peeking though.
The Assam base here is Butiki Teas’ Taiwanese Assam which I have not yet tried “pure” or on its own but after tasting this tea, I realize that I need to add it to my next order with Butiki Teas so that I can try it, because I’m really enjoying this Assam. It is rich and smooth, malty and robust … and I taste less of that “hint” of bitterness that often comes through with an Assam. It is mildly astringent, but again, I am noticing less astringency here than I would normally notice with an Assam.
I like the way the Assam assimilates with the flavors of caramel and vanilla. It is sweet and comforting … it’s one of those “cozy” kind of tastes that you want to curl up to after a trying day … or if you just want to start off the day by assuaging your sweet tooth, this tea will get your blood pumping and satiate the sweet tooth too! It would make a great latte too, although I find it most satisfying as a straight up cuppa … it doesn’t need anything else!
And NOW through July 6th … this tea is on SALE at Butiki Teas! Caramel Vanilla Assam is now 24% off until July 6th, that’s just $6.25 an ounce!
Golden Blend from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
A new blend of Golden Monkey from Fujian Province and Assam FTGFOP, that makes a great tea that is very solid. If one’s bent was towards milk and sugar, that would not be a problem.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Golden Blend from Harney & Sons has a lovely dry leaf with lots of golden tips amid the deep, dark black tea leaves. The aroma of the dry leaf is sweet and rich, reminiscent of a freshly baked tea cake that is studded with lots of dark raisins. After I typed that description, I checked the scent on the dry leaves again, to see if that’s what I really smelled, and yes, indeed! It smells so much like sweet, juicy raisins bursting with flavor.
The brewed tea aroma is much more subtle, but the fragrance I noticed in the dry leaf is present in the brewed liquid as well. Sweet, raisin-y, with a distinct fresh-baked aroma.
The flavor … oh! Sublime! The tea brews up dark and delicious – with notes of chocolate, caramel, malt and hints of earth and woodsy tones. Overall, it has a masculine tone to it, a ruggedness without being too aggressive. This is more like a suave, debonair gentleman. This is smooth and rich. It is savory yet sweet. The raisin-y note that I mentioned previously is there. It has that bake-y, cake-y kind of taste to it. It would make a lovely choice for that first cup of the day, but also would make a nice cuppa for that afternoon pick-me-up.
There is some dry astringency to this but I don’t get any hint of bitterness to it. I only steeped the pot for 2 1/2 minutes, so that might be why. Since this does have Assam in the blend, I wouldn’t recommend going much longer than that 2 1/2 minutes … because it could very well become bitter if left to steep too long. But as for this pot … I think it came out very close to perfect.
This is delightful!