Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
This very fine black tea hails from the Oothu estate in the Indian state of Kerala, just miles from the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. Isolated from the rest of the country by the Western Ghats, tea grows at the Oothu Estate amid lush green rainforest and stunning natural beauty. In fact, Oothu translates to “spring of water.” The Singampatti group of estates produce the largest amount of organic tea in the world. This organic, Fair Trade Certified black tea is full-bodied, smooth, and subtly sweet with light to medium astringency.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Organic Singampatti Oothu Black Tea from Arbor Teas – while the name is quite a twisted mouthful! – the tea itself is so smooth and rich and absolutely delightful to sip!
This is a very pleasantly smooth tea. It starts out with a sweet note that is reminiscent of a caramel note – a light caramel note. Throughout the sip, I notice hints of fruit and flower. There are very subtle spice tones to the tea as well as a touch of malt. It has a sort of “chewy” bake-y flavor that evokes thoughts of the chewy crust of a warm, freshly baked French Bread.
It is a warm, robust tea, but I like that it is not a bitter tea. No, I didn’t over-steep the tea, but, sometimes, with Indian teas there are very subtle notes of something there that suggest to me that if I had over-steeped the tea that I would have a bitter tasting brew. There is no inclination of that with this tea. Just smooth, sweet, delicious flavor.
There is some astringency that is slightly dry. I notice this dry sensation on my palate toward the finish, but it isn’t an overbearingly dry tea either. The dryness reminds me of a fine wine, with notes of black currant toward the finish, and a slight dryness on the palate as the sip concludes.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable tea! It is one that I’d like as that all-important first cup of the day (in fact, that is what it is today!) because it’s strong enough to provide a that little kick of gusto that I need to get going. But it is not an aggressive tea, and it would also make an agreeable afternoon pick-me-up kind of tea as well. Nice with milk and honey (or other sweetener) but, equally as nice without!
And I really can’t say enough good things about Arbor Teas as a company. They are definitely tops in my book. I love that all their teas are organic and fair trade – and that they are dedicated to providing the best quality organic and fair trade teas to their customers. I also LOVE that they are devoted to the environment, using biodegradable packaging and focusing their efforts toward a greener planet. These things are important to me, and I love that they are also important to Arbor Teas!
Budlabeta Estate Assam GBOP SPL from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
A quality broken-leaf selection, with a pleasant and complex aroma in both the dry leaf and cup. The liquor has a medium body, with notes of dried fruit and a pleasant finish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I had to wake up early today, and I am still feeling a little sluggish as it nears the afternoon, so, I am in need of a good, hearty Assam. I chose to try this Budlabeta Estate Assam GBOP SPL from Upton Tea Imports … and I’m hoping it will do the trick and shake me out of this nagging, dragging feeling!
The first thing I noticed, right off the bat, is how smooth this Assam is. The delivery is smooth from start to finish … tasting sweet – like the somewhat sugary sweetness you’d experience from dried fruit. The fruit notes remind me a bit of raisin and dried currant. There is a touch of malt to the flavor as well as a hint of wine-like flavor that is especially noticeable at the finish and in to the aftertaste.
I chose to brew this Assam for just 2 minutes, and I based this decision on the fact that the leaves were on the small side. When it comes to Assam teas, my general rule of thumb is that when brewing smaller cut Assam tea leaves, it is wise to cut back on the brew time just a bit to avoid bitterness. I think I made the right decision with this tea because I’m not experiencing bitterness with this tea.
It is mildly astringent and a bold tasting tea. It has a certain rigor to it – this would be a good “wake me up” kind of tea to enjoy first thing in the morning … or if you’re like me and one who doesn’t typically enjoy mornings (I think I’d like them a lot better if they started later), this also makes a good first thing in the afternoon tea! It has an edge to it, so if you want to soften that edge, a dollop of honey will do that and this tea takes the addition of honey well – and milk too, if you want a latte! As for me, I took a few sips of it straight up, and decided I wanted a slightly softer edge, and I added about a quarter teaspoon of turbinado sugar. This was enough to curb that sharpness without making it too sweet, because I really do enjoy the natural sweetness of this tea.
Another fine selection from Upton Tea Imports!
Devonshire Earl Grey Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
A recent addition to our Earl Grey Blends. The base for this tea is an elegant long-leaf Ceylon BOP1. The fresh, full bergamot flavor is married with lemon notes to produce a rich and full bodied tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m always interested (and excited!) to try a new-to-me Earl Grey blend, so when my SororiTea Sister, TeaEqualsBliss, sent me a sampling of this Devonshire Earl Grey Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports, I was thrilled!
The aroma of the dry leaf is captivating – with that distinctive bergamot fragrance mingling with a lemon-y note … it’s very citrusy … very aromatic! The brewed tea has more of a lemon note than bergamot … the bergamot is still there, but the lemon definitely stands out as the stronger scent. It almost smells like a lemon scented furniture polish … let’s hope it doesn’t taste like it!
Fortunately, it doesn’t taste like furniture polish! It has a strong citrus-y flavor, with the bergamot notes playing a balancing act with the lemon notes. Together, the two taste more like a homogeneous citrus flavor rather than a distinguished bergamot and/or lemon flavor.
The black tea takes a backseat to the strong citrus tones – that is not to say that the Ceylon BOP1 is overwhelmed completely by the citrus flavors, but, the Ceylon is not quite strong enough to hold it’s own here. It is tasted, but it doesn’t offer a bold presentation. I do like it’s smooth character though, and the moderate astringency of the tea does accentuate the citrus flavors quite nicely.
Overall, this is a pleasant Earl Grey offering. Not my favorite, but, not a bad Earl Grey tea. It would be a good Earl Grey for those who like the focus to be on the citrus-y qualities of the bergamot fruit. As for me, I found myself wanting a little more black tea flavor in the background, and I wished there were more obvious bergamot notes to the cup. Not bad though!
Green Elephant Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
A pleasantly sharp green tea, lively, light sweetness with some astringency.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am really enjoying this Green Elephant Tea from Shanti Tea. It’s one of the more unique, pure green teas I’ve encountered in some time, and I’m really liking how unique it is!
The sip starts out relatively smooth and pleasantly sweet. I was expecting some sharpness to present itself right at the onset, based upon the description, but I didn’t get that at first. By mid-sip, though, I noticed a slight sharp bite to it, and by the finish, there was a unique spiced note that develops in the aftertaste, imparting a tingly sensation on the tongue that is quite interesting. It definitely is “lively!”
I really enjoy how this tea develops on the palate. I love the soft sweetness at the start, it doesn’t prepare you for the surprise you’ll get when you reach mid-sip … that really took me by surprise. I had expected more of a bite at the start, and when I didn’t get it, I sort of relaxed and enjoyed the sweet tone, and then this sharp, snappy flavor just sort of hits the palate.
Truly an interesting and inspiring cup of tea … I expected no less from Shanti Tea!
Beesakopie Estate Assam Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
The Beesakopie Estate is located in the eastern most region of Assam, closest to the Burmese border, in the Tinsukia district.
If you’re looking for a very malty, well balanced tea with a rapid infusion, then look no further. This tea is a CTC style (cut, twisted, curled) and unlike leafed tea, it doesn’t expand. The tea brews to a deep amber cup that stands up to the addition of milk. A real morning “wake-me-up” beverage!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! I love a good, rich, malty Assam and this Beesakopie Estate Assam Black Tea from Simpson & Vail is exactly that! It is remarkably rich and malty and oh-so-good! It’s got that first thing in the morning kind of GUSTO that you want from an Assam too!
The dry leaf is a remarkably fine cut (or chopped?) CTC – resembling what many might think is dust or fannings. Yes this DOES indeed look like something that you got from an inferior tea bag, but, it doesn’t TASTE like it! Don’t let a finely cut CTC fool you into thinking that the tea lacks quality, this is not always the case, especially in Assam teas like this one.
However, with a fine cut tea like this one, you do need to be careful on how you brew the tea, because it can become bitter faster than a larger leaf Assam can simply because there is more surface area exposed in the brewing process. If you normally would brew a larger leaf Assam for three minutes, go just 2 1/2 with this tea. I normally brew an Assam at 2 1/2 minutes, and this one, I went with 2 minutes and I have a tea that’s been brewed perfectly to my taste sitting in front of me.
The flavor is very rich and full-bodied. It has a strong, vigorous flavor – it’s one of those teas that will help you get those eyes OPEN and your blood pumping on days when you’d rather be snuggled up in bed sleeping than up and at ’em. There is a sweet, caramel-y undertone to the tea that melds well with the strong, malty overtones. There is also that delicious “freshly baked” quality to this tea – reminiscent of a fresh loaf of french bread with the chewy crust. Nice!
I prefer my Assam teas served hot, because I find that the rich, malty flavor expresses itself best when the tea is warm. As it cools, the malty notes seem to lose something. It is still good …just not as good, you know? And because it’s a robust, hearty brew, it takes the additions of milk and/or honey well, if you care to add them. I personally like this with a half teaspoon of turbinado sugar – just enough to soften that sharp edge of the Assam without overwhelming it. On more relaxed days, I might add a splash of milk and go latte, and on the days when I really need an extra boost, I drink it straight.
However you choose to drink your Assam, this is one that you should definitely try!