Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Tea Limited
Tea Description:
Small tightly rolled leaves with a high proportion of golden tips. These amazingly aromatic leaves produce a highly concentrated sweet and full bodied tea liquor with an incredibly rich dark chocolate-malt character. An outstanding breakfast tea to enjoy with milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love it when I find a really excellent Assam tea – and this Bemolapur Estate Assam from Capital Tea Limited is indeed excellent! The flavor is full and robust! This is the kind of tea you want on those mornings when you need to shake the sleepy, because it’s got plenty of gusto!
To brew this Assam, I heated the water to 205°F and poured the sampling I received into the basket of my Kati Tumbler. Then I poured the water over the leaves and steeped the tea for 2 1/2 minutes. This is a tea that I’d recommend tinkering around with to find just the right time and temperature for you, because although my cup was not bitter, it was somewhat astringent and I suspect that the tea would have been bitter if I steeped it for another 15 or 30 seconds.
Fortunately, I cut off the steeping time at just the right time for my palate because what I’m getting is a sweet, malty richness that I love from an Assam tea. Bold! Delectable notes of dark chocolate with an undertone of honeyed caramel.
I liked this tea served hot, straight up. But I did let part of the cup go cold (I got distracted and was away from my cup too long!) and it’s quite tasty as a cold tea too (again, straight up). It would also be nice with a dollop of honey (to accentuate those honey undertones) and a splash of milk (the creaminess of the dairy together with the malt would be outstanding).
A really lovely tea.
Provénce Rooibos Blend from The Secret Garden Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Secret Garden Tea Co.
Tea Description:
French lavender, rosebuds, and berries yield a sweet melange.
Ingredients: Rooibos, rosehip, elderberry, and blueberry pieces, lavender, rose petals, natural flavors.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really lovely melody of flavors. I like the way the floral notes of lavender and rose contrast with the earthy and nutty flavors of the rooibos and the sweet-tart berry notes of elderberry and blueberry. It all comes together in a really pleasant way.
To brew this, I used my Breville One-Touch and added 3 bamboo scoops of leaf to the basket (I usually use a little more leaf with herbal tisanes) and 500ml of water to the kettle. I set the temperature for 195°F (my go-to temperature for most rooibos or honeybush blends as well as other herbal tisanes), and the time for 10 minutes (again, my go-to steep time for rooibos or honeybush blends – except for tisanes with hibiscus in them).
The sip starts with floral notes of lavender and lighter notes of rose. Almost immediately after I pick up on the lavender and rose, I start to notice the tart notes of elderberry and a hint of sweetness from the blueberry. A moment later, I start to recognize the honeyed sweetness of the rooibos, followed by the nutty and earthy flavors. The finish is sweet with fruit and flower tastes, with the floral notes lingering in the aftertaste along with that tingly berry tartness.
It’s a really enjoyable cup and it’s one that I’d recommend to those who feel that rooibos blends are one-note. This one will change their mind. There are some really wonderful layers of flavor to it. The berry flavors as well as the sweet floral notes bring to mind thoughts of spring or summer and this would make a really nice warm weather blend (it’s really quite nice as it cools!) but because I am finding it to be a very calming blend, I think it’s just as appropriate a blend to have in the winter season because let’s face it, we could all use a little bit of calm during this busy holiday season!
Golden Garden Estate Ceylon OP Black Tea from Capital Tea Limited
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Tea Limited
Tea Description:
Deeply aromatic long black wiry leaves from Sri Lanka’s Ruhuna District. These leaves produce a strong tasting medium to full bodied tea liquor possessing an intense aroma and flavour with notes of malt, chocolate and carob.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Another tea from a new-to-me company. I was introduced to this company by a friend on Steepster. It’s nice to be part of a tea community like Steepster where we can share teas with one another and expand our horizons!
And what a remarkable Ceylon! I generally describe Ceylon teas as “medium-bodied,” and “even-tempered” and usually what I mean by “even tempered” is that it’s a smooth, easy going kind of tea. Nothing all that exceptional. Just kind of “average” really – the kind of tea that is often utilized when creating blends or flavored teas because it has a very even tone to it that isn’t overly aggressive or assertive so the flavors are able to express themselves fully.
But this … there is nothing average about this Ceylon! This is not a “typical” Ceylon in any way, shape or form! In the world of “average” Ceylon teas where the average is “nothing all that exceptional”, this IS the exception!
This tastes more like a Fujian black tea with it’s rich chocolate-y notes and caramel-y undertones. It is more full-bodied than medium-bodied, and it has a nice, round flavor that satisfies all those little taste buds on the palate.
This is pleasantly sweet with its aforementioned caramel-y tones and notes of chocolate (which are actually more like a dark, bittersweet chocolate). It has a rich earthy note with hints of wood. It’s a stronger Ceylon than that typical “medium-bodied” “moderately even-toned” Ceylon. It has a heftier taste and texture.
As the tea cools slightly, I start to pick up on notes of honey, but it’s more of a honeyed caramel than pure honey. Notes of molasses. I like the sweetness of this Ceylon.
And now that the temperature has cooled slightly, I can also pick up on notes of fruit in the background. I taste ripe plum and notes of raisin. Hints of a floral note in the distance that seem to perk up the flavors toward the finish.
Overall, a really nice experience with this first tea that I’ve tried from Capital Tea Limited!
Assam Orthodox Black Tea (FOP) from Starglory
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Starglory on Amazon
Tea Description:
Black Tea is consumed because of its natural flavour and for refreshment. Excellent cup of black tea helps a person to start a day positively with full of energy. At the end of a hectic, tiresome and busy day if a perfect black tea is taken , it will re energize and refresh oneself. This is one best Orthodox Black Tea sourced from Upper Assam Gardens.
Learn more about Starglory Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love Assam black teas, so when I was asked by Starglory Tea to try their FOP Assam Black, I was only too happy to oblige!
Immediately upon looking at the dry leaf, I can see something distinctly different with this tea versus other Assam black teas. Most Assam teas that I’ve encountered tend to be a smaller cut or broken leaf. But these beautiful, long, wiry leaves of chocolate brown appear to be whole! When Starglory says “FOP” (which stands for Flowery Orange Pekoe – which basically means that the tea consists of large, wiry, and mostly unbroken leaves), they mean it!
To brew this beautiful Assam, I measured out 2 1/2 bamboo scoops of tea (I added an extra half a scoop because the leaves are so large and bulky) into the basket of my Breville tea maker and poured 500ml of freshly filtered water into the vessel. I set the parameters for 2 1/2 minutes steep time at 205°F. I used a slightly lower temperature because it’s been my experience that Assam teas can be somewhat temperamental and a slightly lower temperature can mean the difference between a perfect tasting cup of tea and a bitter brew.
And this tastes perfect!
It is rich, delicious and malty, just like I want from an Assam. But this tastes much smoother – no bitterness whatsoever! Not even a hint in the background. Just sweet, caramel-y notes that meld deliciously with notes of malt to create a thick, luscious flavor that not only entices me with its delicious flavor but also invigorates me.
The sip begins with a sweet note that becomes very caramel-esque as the sip progresses. I begin to pick up on the malty notes almost right away. There are notes of fruit and floral notes in the background. It’s got that “chewy” sort of flavor to it, thick and delicious like the crust from a freshly baked loaf of bread. Mmm! It’s a very satisfying tea.
This tea doesn’t require any additions – it tastes great as is. But, if you prefer a bit of honey or milk in your tea, this tea would take those additions well. It would be great with a thin slice of lemon too. Another great idea is to drop a piece or two of crystallized ginger into your tea. This adds a little sweetness to the cup as well as a hint of ginger’s peppery flavor. (Plus you get a tasty treat at the end of the cup!)
If you’re looking for an Assam that delivers the flavor of the Assam without so much of the harshness that is often associated with it – this is the Assam you’re looking for!
Assam Orthodox Black Tea (TGFOP1) from Starglory
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Starglory on Amazon
Tea Description:
Black Tea is consumed because of its natural flavour and for refreshment. Excellent cup of black tea helps a person to start a day positively with full of energy. At the end of a hectic, tiresome and busy day if a perfect black tea is taken , it will re energize and refresh oneself. This is one best Orthodox Black Tea sourced from Upper Assam Gardens.
Learn more about Starglory Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a fabulous Assam! It’s a rich, full-flavored, robust Assam – just what I’d expect from a top-notch Assam black tea, but it’s far less harsh than many Assam teas that I’ve encountered. This is smoother and sweeter!
To brew this, I used my trusty Breville One-Touch tea maker (I really love this machine!) I added 2 heaping bamboo scoops of tea to the basket – a little bit of extra leaf since the curls of the beautiful TGFOP1 leaf add some bulk to it versus the typical smaller torn leaf. Then I poured 500ml of water into the jug and set the parameters: 205°F and 2 1/2 minutes.
This particular Assam is a single garden tea from the Dibrugarh estate. I like that when I had a question about the Assam tea’s origins, Starglory Tea got back to me promptly with the answers I was looking for. I appreciate that kind of customer service! It makes me feel good about the company I’m dealing with!
This is a really smooth Assam. It’s malty and there is a wine-like note to this too. It’s got a crispness to it. It’s not quite as heavy as some Assam teas can be. It’s got that invigorating edge to it without being bitter. In fact, I’m not picking up on any bitterness to this at all. With many Assam teas, I tend to pick up on a slight bitterness, like hinting at bitterness. Not quite bitter, but suggesting to me that had I oversteeped the tea, it would have been. I’m not even getting the slight insinuation that this tea would be bitter! I like!
There are notes of cacao which I found surprising – in a very good way! It’s a rich, decadent cacao flavor with notes of flower in the background. Hints of fruit. Molasses which adds a rich, almost roasted flavor to the cup that accents the cacao quite beautifully.
While I am sure that this tea would take well to the additions of milk and honey (or other additions if you prefer) I would first recommend tasting it before you add anything to it! It has a very satisfying flavor served straight and there are so many lovely nuances to this tea and the additions might just overwhelm those other flavors.
This Assam is so good that I’m finding it hard to write this review as I drink it. I don’t want to stop sipping long enough to put the cup down and type! That’s the true measure for this reviewer of a really good tea – if I finish the cup of tea before I finish the review – it deserves all kinds of accolades. And look! My teacup is empty!