Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Grey’s Tea
Tea Description:
Recognisably malty, this is a beautiful tea not only to drink but to look at. The long white velvety buds of White Assam have a rich floral aroma and produce a rich flowery liquor that has good definition but without astringency. This is a lovely, highly exclusive and most beautifully made tea from the Methola Estate, located on the south bank of the great Brahamaputra river in eastern Assam. It is one that matches the very best white teas from China but with the rich maltiness that is exclusive to Assam. No other white teas are known to be produced in Assam. The buds are meticulously hand picked in early spring and are then air dried. Brew for fifteen minutes. This is a highly prized and unique white tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh goodness, this is delicious.
I (again) did not follow the suggested steeping parameters. I did not steep this for fifteen minutes. Something inside me was not able to steep an Assam that long – regardless of the leaf type, so I steeped this for four minutes. I’ve had one too many bitter Assam teas (yes, they were black, but they were bitter nonetheless) after steeping just seconds beyond three minutes, so steeping this one for four minutes was difficult for me to do.
But it turned out amazing with a brew time of four minutes. It is sweet, creamy and delicious. It has that malty note that I’ve come to expect from a high quality Assam tea, and the way the malty note melds with the creaminess of this tea … it becomes absolutely decadent. So smooth and rich, with virtually no astringency … and nope, no bitterness.
Perhaps this would be alright to steep a little longer. However, I must say that I’m really enjoying it at four minutes, and it’s hard to believe that I could enjoy it more if it were steeped longer. I’d just have to wait longer to enjoy it!
This tea is good for at least two infusions, as well … perhaps more! I found the second infusion (I steeped it for six minutes the second time) to be still malty and creamy, although these two notes seem to have softened somewhat to make way for the emerging fruit and flower notes that I tasted. Not overly floral, but pleasantly so, I found the fruit notes to give this a delicious, juicy quality that was positively thirst-quenching.
This is a tea I’d recommend to all tea drinkers out there. It’s one of the most unique teas I’ve yet to taste. It is different from a typical white tea, it is different than a typical Assam tea. It is in a league all its own: it’s absolutely wonderful!
Organic Guranse from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Organic Guranse tea originates from the Guranse Estate in Nepal and is graded FTGFOP-1 (Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, First Flush). This light and fragrant tea has notes of tobacco and wet mahogany with light peach notes that linger. Organic Guranse is lightly malty and perfect for afternoon or early evening enjoyment as it is not as strong as some of our other black teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this tea is earthy and a little sweet, reminding me a bit of the pipe tobacco my dad once had when my stepmother was trying to get him to start smoking pipes. The brewed tea maintains much of this fragrance, although it is a slightly lighter scent than the dry leaf.
The flavor immediately reminded me of an Assam with its delicious malty tones, although I’m finding it to be a lighter bodied tea than a typical Assam, which I usually categorize as a full-bodied tea. I think I’d categorize this one as a medium bodied tea, or even a light-to-medium bodied tea. To put it another way, I would put this somewhere between a full-bodied Assam and a light-bodied Darjeeling.
Interestingly enough, this tea also has other characteristics that remind me of these two teas. The aforementioned rich malty tones that remind of an Assam while the woody, fruit tones remind me of a Darjeeling (but without the muscatel). There is a fair amount of astringency to this tea as well, which is common in these two teas. Here the astringency is crisp and tangy, and leaves the palate feeling clean and dry. The aftertaste is earthy and sweet.
I’m finding this to be a delightful, contemplative cup – just right for the afternoon. It’s also REALLY good as it cools – makes an awesome iced tea!
Supreme Breakfast Blend from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
Smooth and full-bodied. Fantastic teas from India and China are combined to create this Breakfast Blend. A wonderful tippy Assam gives it full body that is then smoothed by the rich distinctive flavor of Hao Ya ‘B’ Keemun.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a strong brew! It has a very pleasing, robust flavor with some serious gusto to it – the kind of tea that you want to drink in the morning, when you need a good wake up tea.
The Assam gives it an enjoyable, full-bodied flavor and a delicious malty tone. The cup also has some sweetness to it, although I wouldn’t describe it as an overly sweet tea, and I do think that this tea would be nice with the addition of honey or sugar to help soften the edges a little. Some milk would add a delicious creamy element.
There is also some bitterness to this cup. I don’t think I oversteep it (I steeped it for just 2 1/2 minutes in boiling water), but a jarring bitterness does hit the palate about mid-sip. I don’t find it off-putting, though, nor is it something that would render the cup undrinkable. Instead, I think it kind of helps the tea … it seems to give me an added “jolt” that is helping to invigorate me.
The Keemun in this blend adds a lovely smoky element to the cup. It isn’t a strong smoky flavor; it is a flavor that does develop on the palate though, becoming increasingly stronger with each sip, although it never really becomes what I’d call a really bold smoky note.
I love the way the flavors come together in this cup. Malty, sweet, bitter, smoky … they all seem to meld together in a pleasing sort of way that I find agreeable. This tea makes waking up in the morning a much more pleasurable experience!
Cherry Joy Black Tea from Ovation Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Ovation Teas
Tea Description:
Blend of Assam and Ceylon loose leaf black teas with bing cherries, sliced almonds, and coconut pieces with cherry, almond, and coconut flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had this tea twice now, and interestingly enough, the flavor was a little different each time. The first time I tried it, the coconut came out strong from the very first sip. The cherry was there, but, it sort of lingered in the background. The almond was the most subtle flavor of the three.
One thing that remained consistent with both cups is that the tea was the prominent flavor of both cups. I was happily surprised by this, because a tea with so many flavors could have easily been overwhelmed by them. The flavor of the tea is rich and a little malty, with hints of earth and even a sweet biscuit kind of quality to it.
I found the cherry flavor to be a stronger flavor in this second cup. It is a sweet cherry flavor, reminding me of my summers as a child when my family and I would take a days drive down to Cherry Valley in California. We’d spend the day picking cherries off the tree, and then bringing them home to enjoy. Over the course of the next few weeks, our days would be filled with cherry goodness, eating cherries by the bowlful, and having cherry cobbler for dessert. (By the way, try freezing Bing cherries … they’re so yummy and refreshing, one of my favorite treats as a kid!) I love how this tea tastes so distinctly like Bing Cherry that it brings those memories to life for me.
By the time I’ve consumed about half of this second cup of tea, the almond and coconut begin to assert themselves, although never in a very aggressive way. The coconut is smooth and creamy note to the cup that might otherwise taste TOO cherry which might end up giving it too much of a cough medicine-y taste. But the coconut brings it back into the dessert tea realm.
Of the three flavors (and in both cups!), I find the almond to be the most subtle, providing more of a delicious, nutty hint of sweetness to the cup rather than a distinct almond flavor. But, I love the way the three flavors come together – cherry, coconut and almond – it is creamy, sweet, and juicy, and absolutely YUMMY!
I really love this tea, and I enjoy how it offers a different adventure every time you brew it!
Chilli Chai from Teapigs
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teapigs
Chai Description:
This chilli chai is a twist on our traditional chai, a recipe that has been the Indian drink of choice for centuries. Alongside the assam tea, cardamom pods, chunks of ginger, cinnamon and vanilla, we have added flakes of chilli for an extra fiery kick. This chai is for those of you who don’t order korma and plain naan from your local curry house.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
With my first sip or two, I found myself thinking … “hmm, OK, I can taste the chai spices, but, isn’t this supposed to be a Chilli Chai?” But then, a few moments later, I FELT the heat from the chilli! I could feel the warmth develop at the back of my tongue and in my throat, and with every moment that lapsed I felt that heat intensify!
That being said, I don’t think that this is a super-fiery-hot chai! Yes, it has a kick to it, but, it never gets uncomfortably hot. Intensely warm … it isn’t so hot that all I can taste is the chilli. I like that I can taste the other spices, the Assam tea, and even a hint of sweet, creamy vanilla underneath that spicy heat!
The Assam base adds a nice amount of malt and a pleasing full-bodied flavor to the cup. The spice that I notice (beyond the chilli!) is the cinnamon, and the chilli and cinnamon seem to work together to bring a spicy-yet-sweet heat to the cup. The ginger adds a hint of pepper to the mix, while the cardamom gives almost a fruit-like note to the background.
This Chilli Chai from Teapigs is very enjoyable, indeed! One I’d recommend to those who are looking for a spicier-than-the-ordinary chai, but not too spicy!