Wine and food pairings are popular all over the place but here at Sororitea Sisters we love learning about TEA and food pairings! Assam teas complement foods such as chocolate, spiced desserts, meat, strong cheeses, fish and more. Since I follow a vegan diet, I like to pair Assams with non-dairy cheese – such as cacao and carob. I’m not even close to being a baker so I don’t frequent vegan desserts but when I can get my hands on one I would gladly pair it with an Assam. I’m not into ‘fake meats’ because I wasn’t into ‘real meat’ prior to being vegetarian and vegan, but I suppose one could try pairing it with an alternative. I will say, that if I see a vegan cheese, I’m probably going to try it at least once and can see myself sipping on a solid Assam while nibbling on a chunk.
Enter the “Assam of the Day”…Simpson and Vail’s Assam Nokhroy Estate Black Tea (STGSOP1). These black, slightly tippy leaves brew to a dark amber cup with a woodsy aroma. The brewed cup has an AMAZING malty flavor profile that characterizes Assam teas with a pleasing, light peppery finish. YUM!
Now for a little bit on where this tea comes from…which is the northeastern state of Assam in India, along the Brahmaputra River. They grow hearty, malty Assam teas – like this one.
The Nokhroy Estate is located in the eastern most region of Assam, closest to the Burmese border, in the Tinsukia district. In 1816 a village called “Halcyon Chuck” was about to be invaded by the Burmese army. Before the attack, the villagers made a peace offering of ‘Nine Platters’ (NA – HORAI) to the Burmese army, as a gesture of respect. Afterwards, the village was called “Na Horai” and over time it became Nokhroy, symbolizing peace and respect for all.
This is a bold yet peaceful cup and I’m so glad I was able to enjoy it! Yet another winner from S&V!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
In the northeastern state of Assam in India, along the Brahmaputra River grow the hearty, malty Assam teas. The heavy rainfall and hot, humid day time temperatures in this area create the perfect green house like environment for growth, as well as helping to create the unique taste found only in Assam teas. Their distinct flavor can be enjoyed “as is”; however, Assam teas are often used in conjunction with other teas to create numerous blends, specifically breakfast teas.
The Nokhroy Estate is located in the eastern most region of Assam, closest to the Burmese border, in the Tinsukia district. In 1816 a village called “Halcyon Chuck” was about to be invaded by the Burmese army. Before the attack, the villagers made a peace offering of ‘Nine Platters’ (NA – HORAI) to the Burmese army, as a gesture of respect. Afterwards, the village was called “Na Horai” and over time it became Nokhroy, symbolizing peace and respect for all.
Known for its clean and stylish Orthodox teas with coloury cups, the Estate is home to the famous Nokhroy N / 436 clones known for its unique character. A vigorous uprooting and replanting operation is underway to further enrich the quality of the field.
The black, slightly tippy leaves brew to a dark amber cup with a woodsy aroma. The brewed cup has the malty flavor profile that characterizes Assam teas with a pleasing, light peppery finish.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vietnam Ha Giang Organic Black Tea from Simpson and Vail
Vietnam Ha Giang Organic Black Tea from Simpson & Vail – didn’t last long in my tea stash – that is for sure. Good problem for S&V…bad problem for me!
My own personal default for black tea is double the amount for a short time because I like it STRONG! End result was an dark amber cup with slightly smooth taste. But don’t assume by me saying this was smooth that it was lacking a nice rich flavor because that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The leaves were crispy and slightly tippy and just what I crave in the morning and what my body needs to kick the afternoon lull, too!
S&V’s Vietnam organic black tea comes from the Ha Giang province in northern Vietnam along the Tay Con Linh mountain range (at 1300, above sea level) – deep within the ancient forests of Shan tea that have been growing for hundreds of years. Shan tea is a specialty in this region and the investment helped farmers to preserve this tea. A nursery of seedlings was created and workers were taught how to use crop rotation, green manure and biological pest control to sustainably develop this tea. Monies were also put towards new production facilities to ensure a consistent, high quality leaf. The area went through an economic revival in 2010 with a serious investment in the community. The goal of the investment was to achieve a better, higher quality tea using modern production techniques coupled with organic farming practices. This investment has more than paid off and the people living in this area have seen steady increases in production, quality and pay.
Improvements like these really get me energized about the region, the product, and the people behind the leaves and the cuppa! I can’t wait to see and TASTE what other teas comes from Vietnam and how it continues to grow in the coming years!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
The black, slightly tippy, leaves of this Vietnam black tea brew up to an amber cup with a mild astringency and a smooth, slightly earthy taste. A delightful afternoon cup!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
The Energy for Word Craft – James Joyce Tea Blend by Simpson and Vail. . . .
From day to day we find ourselves taxed with work, school, and the other things that make our life worthwhile. And when we try to sit down to pursue our hobbies, may it be writing, reading, or any other creative venture we find ourselves creatively drained. We either stare at a blank page or a room that holds our craft that refuses to give us the needed inspiration to fuel our venture.
This, my friends, is where I have found myself a lot this month. Balancing school and my desire to put the story, that I have been holding on to for ages, onto paper seems to be a momentous task. But that is where tea comes in.
To be specific James Joyce’s Tea Blend by Simpson & Vail gave me the needed boost to finally put something down on paper. Now, this is tea not alike the others I have tried for this tea is very simple in nature. This cuppa is like Irish/English Breakfast and as a matter of fact, it tastes like a blend of those two. It has that perfect maltiness that I have come to love in Irish Breakfast with a little bit of the robustness that English Breakfast has to offer.
The price of this tea won’t hurt your wallet either for you can get either a 4 oz package for $6.90 whereas if you want the decorative 4 oz tin that will be about $3 extra at $9.75.
Even though this tea didn’t have anything new or different added to the blend I still appreciate it. Drinking this blend brought me back to the days when I first tried hot tea. Calling this tea simple is not negative in this case for a simple cup of tea could be the only thing you need to get you back on track.
See you for the next cuppa!
Kara
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
James Joyce was born February 2, 1882 in a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. He attended a private boarding school until his father’s debts caught up with the family and he and his siblings were forced to leave. He would later attend college and, while he achieved high marks, his views never aligned with the Jesuit professors. A collection of his short stories, The Dubliners, was published in 1914 and introduced Joyce’s dense and atmospheric prose to the world. He would go on to travel Europe, spending most of his productive years in France, where Ulysses was published in 1922. Joyce’s influence continues into the 21st century where his method of conveying the complexity and chaos of random thought as a stream of consciousness is still in use.
For Joyce, tea was an expected part of life and it appears in his works as a routine part of the day. As a man of taste, he enjoyed the finer things in life and, as an article describing a meeting at his house says, “Mrs. Joyce gives us the best tea and the nicest cakes that are to be had in any house in Paris.” Our James Joyce tea blend uses a distinctly Irish mix of black teas to mimic the type of drink he and his friends would have enjoyed.
This delightfully bold blend of teas brews to a golden cup with a malty flavor and a slightly fruity aftertaste.
Ingredients: Black teas from India, Sri Lanka and Kenya.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
