Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
Freshly picked 8 June 2011.
“Chai” is a word meaning “tea” in many parts of the world. In addition, these CTC black tea leaves are called “chai” because they make a popular base to which to add those luscious spices that turn the tea into the deliciously spicy beverage we call “Chai”. These CTC leaves of second-flush assam can certainly steep into a thoroughly enjoyable cuppa all on their own … well, okay, maybe add some sweetener and milk or cream (yes! this tea will stand up to cream!).
Taster’s Review:
If you’re like me, when you first saw the name of this tea, you thought this would be a spiced tea blend. It is not. Here, “chai” is used as it was originally intended: to mean “tea” and not “spiced tea.”
By now, I’ve tasted several of the Estate teas offered by KTeas, and I’ve been impressed with every single one of them that I’ve tried. And this brilliant cup of CTC-BOP Assam from the Glenburn Estates is no exception.
One thing that impresses me about these Estate teas from KTeas is that it says – right on the package! – the date this tea was harvested. So I know the tea that I’m drinking is very fresh. And one sip tells me that the tea I’m drinking is very delicious!
This Assam is bold and full-flavored. It has a very bright flavor with a prominent malty flavor. It has a very strong character: this tea can get you GOING in the morning; even on those mornings when you’re feeling sluggish and really need a boost. This tea will give you that boost you need.
This tea has a sweetness to it that is quite like burnt sugar caramel. The sweetness is enhanced by the aforementioned malty tones, and these two qualities linger long into the aftertaste. There is a fair amount of astringency here, but I don’t mind it. If you want to curb it a bit, add a splash of milk to the cup – this tea takes it quite well.
Because this is a CTC-BOP, the leaves are granular – about the size of a grain of couscous! – and you’ll want to take this into account when you steep the tea. Use a little less tea when you measure the tea and do not infuse quite as long as you might steep a whole leaf tea; otherwise you may end up with a somewhat bitter brew. With this tea, it is definitely worth the extra thought and effort to steep it correctly, because the reward is a delicious cup of Assam.
Morawaka Ceylon BOPF (Teabags) from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
These teabags contain Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings grade tea from Morawaka Tea Estate’s Low Country Ceylon plantation in Sri Lanka. With the convenience of a teabag, you get the benchmark Ceylon color and flavor in your cup. No stale left-over Dust, here: these teabags were manufactured in February 2011, February & March being the First Flush of the Ceylon tea world, providing the prime quality teas which have been selected to fill these teabags.
Taster’s Review:
This may just be the freshest bagged tea I’ve ever had! The tea in this teabag was harvested in February of this year and immediately processed into teabag form. Now, I really don’t know when the tea on the grocery store shelf was harvested and manufactured, but I suspect it was longer than seven short months ago.
And you know what? The proof of the freshness is in the taste. I’m blown away at just how good this Ceylon from a teabag tastes. It is a bold and bright. It has a good, strong flavor to it … and even some malty undertones. The best way I can describe the flavor that I’m experiencing right now is that it is a cross between a rich Assam and a brisk Ceylon… falling very close to the middle between the two … veering slightly more toward the Ceylon. It has that briskness you might expect from a Ceylon, but a rich, malty undertone that is common with Assam tea.
I steeped my first teabag at 3 1/2 minutes, and I found that it was just a little too astringent for my taste. Still good and certainly very drinkable, but after that cup was gone I decided to brew another bag, this time at just 2 1/2 minutes and found that this was perfect. A deliciously inviting cuppa!
This makes a great breakfast tea and goes great with milk and honey, if you like to add them to your breakfast tea. It is also tasty without any addition if you prefer it that way. It is also good iced with lemon or lime.
This is a wonderful alternative to those store-bought teabags. These teabags provide the convenience of teabags and the freshness of loose leaf. That’s a win-win in my book!
Makai Black Tea from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
Each sip of this black tea reveals new dimensions in the flavor profile. The terroir of Hawaii imbues these high-quality leaves with a clean, smooth, refined flavor profile in which you will likely find no astringency nor bitterness. Some of the growers’ descriptors serve best: Crystalline amber infusion. Thin, crisp body. Delicate notes of caramel, varley malt, and rice syrup. Slight taste of roasted sweet potato.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted several Hawaiian-grown teas now, and I must say that I’ve been impressed with just about every one that I’ve tried. This Makai Black Tea from KTeas is no exception.
The color of the liquor is lighter than I expected it to be; it is a clear, medium-to-dark amber color much like the liquor of a dark Oolong. There is something else to this tea that reminds me of an Oolong – the texture. It has a softness to the mouthfeel that I often experience with Oolong tea.
This has such a nice complexity. Beautiful malty tones and a rich sweetness that I would describe as somewhere between honey and (as the description above suggests) rice syrup. I also get the hints of caramel here, as well as the faintest note of cocoa. There is some astringency in the finish, but rather than being dry or tangy, I am finding it to be somewhat starchy. This starchy dryness accentuates the cocoa taste. This starchiness also highlights some of the sweet potato taste that is also mentioned in the description.
I infused these leaves twice and they produced two delightful yet different cups. The second infusion was a bit thinner in texture than the first, and it possessed a more subdued flavor. I notice a little less of the cocoa note but there is a delightful spice-like tone in the distance with this infusion. It was delicious and certainly well worth the effort to infuse this one twice.