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!
Hattialli Golden Lion 1st Flush Assam from Lochan Tea Limited
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lochan Tea Limited
Product Description:
This particular tea is not currently available on the Lochan Tea Limited website, so I was unable to get a product description. Watch for the 2011 first flush!
Taster’s Review:
This is a delicious Assam. Very flavorful!
The sip starts out with a sweetness that is caramel-y. In fact, that was my first reaction to my first sip: “Sweet!” There are hints of fruit – plum? These flavors make for an interesting introduction to this full-bodied, robust tea.
About mid-sip, a hint of savory bitterness comes along – just at the right time, to cut through the sweetness and make the taste even more interesting. The sip ends with a strong astringency – almost a pucker-y astringency! This is a hefty black tea with the strength to get you going in the morning.
The malty note to this Assam is also there – I would categorize it at a medium amount of malt. Not as much malt as some Assam teas I’ve tried, but then, a little more than some others. The malt together with the biscuit-y quality of this tea gives this a well-rounded taste.
This is my first sampling of a tea from Lochan Tea Limited, and I’ve quite enjoyed it. The leaves are of good quality and the proof is in the flavor. Even though this particular flush is no longer available from Lochan, I recommend watching their website for the 2011 flush … it will be well worth the effort. This is a good Assam!