Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Sorry, this tea is no longer available.
Company Description:
Legendary throughout the Northern Circuit, Big Thomas, The Breeze from the Mountain, is twice a champion bare-fisted tree-puncher. He did, in fact, earn his first title before becoming aware that he was involved in a contest, so great is his impatience with obstacles be they festooned in leaf or adorned in hide. Watch as Thomas boils with rage! Marvel at his great brawn! See with your very own eyes that none can withstand more than four minutes of his brutal attention!
Andrews & Dunham recommend that the brewing of this Assam black tea from India be performed by inserting the leaves into freshly boiled water for a duration of exactly four minutes. A strong, malty beverage will then be yours to enjoy in any manner you choose. A hasty preparation will yield a pale and gutless liquor. A more prolonged duration invites bitterness.
Taster’s Review:
Hooray for online tea friends! I received a sampling of this rare tea from a friend on Steepster! (Thanks!) This is a tea that I would not have been able to try otherwise, as it is no longer available.
You see, Andrews & Dunham – the minds that bring us Damn Fine Tea – release their teas in limited edition series. You buy the full series (usually 3 teas to a series, but, in the case of Series 2, which this tea is part of, there were only 2 teas), and the orders arrive promptly to your door. (I know this because I ordered series 3, and I was astonished at how quickly my order arrived) The downside is that once the limited edition is sold-out, those teas can no longer be purchased. That is the case with this tea.
A very bold, brisk Assam tea. Lots of vigor to the flavor. A malty note, although not quite as malty as some Assam teas I’ve tasted. What it lacks in the malty flavor, it more than makes up for in bold brashness! And I mean that in a good way! This is a very seriously stout black tea.
The steeping suggestions provided by Andrews and Dunham state that 4 minutes would produce an optimum cup. However, my personal experience with Assam teas has been that anything over 2 ½ minutes = a bitter brew. So, rather than risking it (I had precious few leaves of this wonderful tea) I let my experience overrule the purveyors parameters and brewed for just 2 ½ minutes.
The result is a beautifully bold, vigorous tea. A pleasant malty flavor that peaks in the finish. A bit of astringency, but not overwhelming. And most importantly, at least for my palate – NO bitterness! Just one very fabulous cup of tea that is delicious hot, served with just a drizzle of raw honey and a splash of milk to bring out some of the richer qualities of the tea. Of course, for the purists out there, no milk or honey is needed – I just happen to prefer taking my Assam that way.
The second infusion is even more flavorful than the first. The bold strength of the tea softens to reveal a complex liquor with notes of fruit. I can taste a bit more malty character in the second infusion as well.
Ceylon from Damn Fine Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: this tea is no longer available, sorry!
Company Description:
You grew up next door to this tea. It would sit on the porch, talking on the cordless phone, and despite its old sweats and unkempt hair you had a hard time taking your eyes off it while you mowed the lawn. Your trips down the block to the mailbox had to be perfectly timed. You grew up, moved away, and made a name for yourself but every now and then a song surfaces on the random shuffle and it all comes back. A Google search yields nothing.
Taster’s Review:
I’m not big on unflavored Ceylon tea. I have nothing against an unflavored Ceylon tea, exactly, except that they’re rather … ordinary. For me, when I think of Ceylon tea, I think of the tea that is used in flavored tea blends. It is the most widely used for flavored blends because it has a mellow, calm tone to it which allows the flavor to really come through in the blend without the strong tea flavor interfering with it. Most Ceylon teas are good, tasty teas with a pleasant character to them, but they are just … ordinary, and when I drink an unflavored black tea, I want something a little more than just a Ceylon tea.
Occasionally, I will find an unflavored Ceylon tea that really surprises me with its depth of flavor. Like this Ceylon from Andrews & Dunham’s Damn Fine Tea. Wow!
I can taste layers of fruit and nutty flavors, as well as a deep woodsy flavor. There is even a hint of smoke in the flavor that is very subtle. A very enjoyable honey-like sweetness that is completely irresistible to this tea lover! This is the kind of Ceylon that makes me rethink my attitude toward Ceylon teas – I would love to drink this every day!
Unfortunately, I cannot. This tea was part of the first series that Andrews & Dunham released, and it has, regrettably, sold out. I was lucky enough to find a tea friend that was willing to share a small sampling of this tea with me so I could try it, and I’m so grateful I had that opportunity.
This tea is sweet and soothing, calming and relaxing… and absolutely delightful. I love it!
Nepal from Damn Fine Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: This tea is no longer available, Sorry!
Company Description:
Grown high in the mountains of Nepal this tea wears faded dungarees and three days of stubble. It loves to talk about the world at elevation while knocking back pints of pale ale. It has no degree — it doesn’t need one. There is nothing it needs to know that can’t be learned from Whitman and Kipling. While the fire dies, after the others have gone home, it tells of its youth: “After the rains ended the air was intoxicating. The views, always dizzying, became more so. I would sit on a favorite rock for hours in the mornings, watching as the mists below receded and gave way to the startling colors of spring. Now, as I search for words to describe the sensation of those days, only one thing compares: falling in love.”
Taster’s Review:
I have tried several teas offered by Andrews & Dunham, and each time, I am impressed by their dedication to quality. Nepal is no exception – this is absolutely one Damn Fine Tea!
Nepal has a remarkable “golden” quality to it. It has a somewhat rustic taste to it, but, there is a certain refinement to it as well. A smooth, sweet, glistening taste that washes pleasingly over the palate – very enchanting! There is a malty flavor to it that gives richness to the taste. I can also detect a slightly fruity note in the background – kind of peach-like – which adds to the golden quality I mentioned earlier.
This tea needs absolutely no sweetener to be enjoyed as it does possess an agreeable natural sweetness. However, if you’re one that prefers a sweeter tasting tea, this one does take a drizzle of honey quite well.
Andrews & Dunham’s Damn Fine Teas are offered as limited edition teas, and unfortunately, this is tea (part of their first series), is sold out and no longer available. I do recommend that you keep an eye on their website and watch for new issues and order promptly to avoid missing out on future releases! Their teas should not be missed.
Earl Grey from Damn Fine Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Damn Fine Tea
Company Description:
Many have worn the crown but few have carried the freak flag of rock to such fantastic heights as Earl Grey. In spite of a seemingly endless procession of heirs and imitators, the Earl’s star shines as brightly today as it did on first rising in the early 1970s. Listeners who might have been baffled by his colorful affectations were instead delighted by the seductive, mysterious character of his songs. Surely his childhood exposure to folk music on a remote Mediterranean island contributed to his fresh sound, as did his travels in India, but his perfect blend of style, creativity and irresistible guitar hooks always seemed like the product of other-worldly origins. Wherever Earl Grey came from, he’s ours now and this true classic continues to surprise and delight us.
Earl Grey is a black tea scented with the oil of bergamot. Steep in boiling water for five minutes and enjoy in whatever manner you please.
Taster’s Review:
I guess it’s no real secret by now that I adore Earl Grey tea. Now that is not to say that I like all Earl Grey teas; just because you’ve tried one Earl Grey tea does not mean that you’ve tried them all.
This is one of my favorite Earl Grey teas. It is also one of the more unusual Earl Grey teas that I’ve come across. Most of the Earl Grey teas (that I’ve tasted) possess a certain sharpness to them – a sharpness that comes from the bergamot oil used to flavor the tea. It is a difficult sharpness to describe – it is a citrus-y, flowery sharpness that almost comes across the palate like perfume – almost, but not quite.
Some of the Earl Grey teas that I’ve tasted DO taste like perfume – and these are the ones that I find rather distasteful. I mean, who wants to drink perfume? And yet, the really good Earl Grey teas somehow manage to skirt the line between tasting good and tasting like perfume. It is a thin, sharp line. Hence… the aforementioned sharpness.
So then, you may be wondering, just how is this Earl Grey tea different from others? This one is different because it avoids that sharp line completely. Rather than that typical Earl Grey sharpness, this one has a smooth, almost seamless flavor. It is citrus-y. It has a floral note. But somehow, these two have formed a united partnership that has minimized the characteristic sharp note to almost non-existence.
It is an extraordinary Earl Grey tea!
Andrews & Dunham suggest a five minute steep time for this tea, but, as my palate tends to be somewhat sensitive to bitterness, I chose not to steep this long. It’s been my experience over these many years with tea that almost every black tea will get bitter once it brews past that 4 minute point. There are exceptions to that, of course, but, for me and my palate, this has become the standard by which I brew most teas.
I have brewed this tea both at 3 minutes and at 4. I have found that with the 3 minute steep time, I get the flavors that I mentioned previously: a fruitier bergamot with only a hint of floral quality. When I steeped at 4 minutes, I found that the bergamot possessed a stronger floral quality than at 3 minutes which seemed to slightly overwhelm the fruitier notes that I liked so well at 3 minutes. So, my preference is for 3 minutes in boiling water.
So, experiment! Try it at 5 minutes, at 4, and at 3, and see which you prefer. Just try it! If you like Earl Grey tea – you might just fall head over heels in love with this one! But you better hurry – because it’s part of a limited edition series, and won’t be around forever!