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!
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!
Jungpana Estate 2nd Flush Golden Tips Darjeeling Tea from Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Description:
JUNGPANA GOLDEN TIPS is by far one of the finest available teas. It comes from the prestigious JUNGPANA TEA ESTATE. This tea is special as it has been made with utmost care. The tea is made from the finest clonal plants from the plantations at an altitude of 6000ft. The leaves were handpicked with a trained group of women. The manufacturing process was also done with utmost care.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I adore Darjeeling tea, and some of the finest Darjeeling teas that I’ve ever tasted have come from Darjeeling Tea Lovers! This Jungpana Estate 2nd Flush Golden Tips Darjeeling Tea is a perfect example of the fantastic quality teas that come from this fantastic company.
The dry leaves are beautiful with their golden tips, and they brew up a liquid that is coppery in color and that smells sweet with notes of fruit, earth and wood.
And I like that what I smell is also what I taste. The tea is delightfully sweet without being too sweet. There is a lovely fruit note to this, wine-like, with notes of currant and muscat grape. The finish has a gentle astringency – very slight! For those of you who tend to avoid Darjeeling teas because you aren’t wild about the astringency … I think you’d find this Darjeeling to be more to your liking! The finish is less dry than the typical wine-y Darjeeling.
There are notes of wood, earth and hints of flower to this tea as well. It is quite smooth for a Darjeeling, and I note more body to this … it is not quite as “light” and “sparkling” and in place of the sparkling lightness is a smooth body that is very satisfying.
Another remarkable Darjeeling from Darjeeling Tea Lovers!
Golden Buds Black Tea from Spire Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Description:
Known as “Yunnan Pure Gold”, this tippy black tea from China is easily recognizable and produces a rich liquor with light caramel and honey notes.
Learn more about Spire Tea on their website.
Taster’s Review:
There really are very few black teas that I enjoy more than a Golden Yunnan tea like this Golden Buds Black Tea from Spire Tea. I love the rich, caramel-esque flavor of this tea! It’s so deliciously satisfying.
Every single leaf (well, actually, these truly are “buds”) is fully golden in color, ranging from a matte gold color to a soft brown. But these aren’t leaves that are “tipped” in gold, they are gold from one edge to the other with only slight variations in color throughout the bud. The aroma of the brewed tea is soft and earthy.
And the flavor! It is oh-so-good! Rich! Robust! It is one of those teas that you just sip and then sit back while your eyes roll back and you emit a satisfied “ahhhh” because it’s just that good. It has enough gusto to serve as that first cup of the day, and it is smooth enough to serve as an afternoon tea if you prefer it. It would take the additions of honey and/or milk well, but, I would recommend trying it without additions first. It has a natural honey-like flavor to it already … you might find it to be plenty sweet and flavorful without the additions.
This is a tea that I prefer hot. It certainly tastes good iced, but, to me, it seems like such a waste to serve this tea iced when it tastes as good as it does hot. It’s kind of like serving a filet mignon cold. Sure, it probably tastes good like that. But, really, why would you do that when it is obviously better when it’s served hot… you know? Do yourself a favor and savor the flavor of this tea hot!
Yunnan GFOP Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
High-grown Yunnan of excellent quality. Sold by some as the best available, this grade is actually the best of the commonly available grades. Brisk flavor without the harshness of lesser Yunnan teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Yunnan GFOP from Upton Tea Imports is a really lovely Yunnan. It is is everything that you expect from a high quality Yunnan. It is sweet, malty, rich and has a delicious peppery overtone.
The leaves are long and wiry, and vary in color from a golden tan to a chocolate-y brown. The tea brews up dark, and smells slightly earthy, with notes of spice.
This tea has very little astringency, and no noticeable bitterness. It’s really a pleasant tea to sip – very agreeable! The aftertaste is slightly spicy with sweet notes.
This is a rich and robust tea, which makes it a good choice for a morning tea (and would take the additions of milk and honey well, although I prefer it served straight), this tea would also do quite well as an afternoon pick-me-up.
Delicious!