Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Starglory on Amazon
Tea Description:
Black Tea is consumed because of its natural flavour and for refreshment. Excellent cup of black tea helps a person to start a day positively with full of energy. At the end of a hectic, tiresome and busy day if a perfect black tea is taken , it will re energize and refresh oneself. This is one best Orthodox Black Tea sourced from Upper Assam Gardens.
Learn more about Starglory Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a fabulous Assam! It’s a rich, full-flavored, robust Assam – just what I’d expect from a top-notch Assam black tea, but it’s far less harsh than many Assam teas that I’ve encountered. This is smoother and sweeter!
To brew this, I used my trusty Breville One-Touch tea maker (I really love this machine!) I added 2 heaping bamboo scoops of tea to the basket – a little bit of extra leaf since the curls of the beautiful TGFOP1 leaf add some bulk to it versus the typical smaller torn leaf. Then I poured 500ml of water into the jug and set the parameters: 205°F and 2 1/2 minutes.
This particular Assam is a single garden tea from the Dibrugarh estate. I like that when I had a question about the Assam tea’s origins, Starglory Tea got back to me promptly with the answers I was looking for. I appreciate that kind of customer service! It makes me feel good about the company I’m dealing with!
This is a really smooth Assam. It’s malty and there is a wine-like note to this too. It’s got a crispness to it. It’s not quite as heavy as some Assam teas can be. It’s got that invigorating edge to it without being bitter. In fact, I’m not picking up on any bitterness to this at all. With many Assam teas, I tend to pick up on a slight bitterness, like hinting at bitterness. Not quite bitter, but suggesting to me that had I oversteeped the tea, it would have been. I’m not even getting the slight insinuation that this tea would be bitter! I like!
There are notes of cacao which I found surprising – in a very good way! It’s a rich, decadent cacao flavor with notes of flower in the background. Hints of fruit. Molasses which adds a rich, almost roasted flavor to the cup that accents the cacao quite beautifully.
While I am sure that this tea would take well to the additions of milk and honey (or other additions if you prefer) I would first recommend tasting it before you add anything to it! It has a very satisfying flavor served straight and there are so many lovely nuances to this tea and the additions might just overwhelm those other flavors.
This Assam is so good that I’m finding it hard to write this review as I drink it. I don’t want to stop sipping long enough to put the cup down and type! That’s the true measure for this reviewer of a really good tea – if I finish the cup of tea before I finish the review – it deserves all kinds of accolades. And look! My teacup is empty!
Darjeeling Mim from Pekko Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Pekko Teas
Tea Description:
Country of Origin: India
Region: Darjeeling
Shipping Port: Calcutta
Grade: TGFOP1 (Tippy Golden Flavoury Orange Pekoe 1)
Altitude: 6800 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type: Orthodox
Cup Characteristics: Good body with a classic muscatel character. This quality is only available during June when the 2nd flush growing season is at its peak.
Infusion: Bright tending light
Ingredients: Luxury black tea.Mim is in the Darjeeling area of Northern India. From the town center on a clear day the peak of Mount Everest can be seen. The genus of the Darjeeling tea bush is the Chinese Jat, which gives it the distinctive muscatel character. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and in relatively cool weather the bushes do not grow quickly, and as such the production is limited. The best time of the year for quality is during ‘second-flush’ (end May – end June). During this time Darjeelings are incomparable to any other tea in the world. The fragrance and taste is a complex bouquet that reaches right out of the cup. Some would describe the taste as nutty; others find it reminds them of black currants, but most often it is described as similar to the taste and fragrance of muscat grapes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Now I am not as knowledgable on Darjeeling as my SororiTea Sister Anne, so I can’t pretend to know just how good this stacks against others of its caliber, however I am throughly enjoying this tea!
I can taste the muscatel in this tea, the base is great, and the mouthfeel is rich, almost creamy.
Its not AS robust as some black teas but yet it has its own nice level of somewhat roast-y flavor.
As Anne stated in her review, there is a slight bit of astringency not to be confused with bitterness – its like it is meant to be there – almost a little tart, like a fresh grape.
I have enjoyed this tea many times now, but one thing that I find with this particular Darjeeling, that I have not found in others, is a sweetness, not just from the muscatel, but rather a maple syrup flavor that is quite amazing!
It is almost a dreamy sort of tea, one that takes me away from the chaos of the world and eases me into a very relaxed, yet rejuvenated state of mind.
This is truly a stash must have. I find myself reaching for it regularly. Its not just a dependable tea but an impressive tea as well. One to enjoy while reading, with breakfast, enjoying the outdoors, excellent cold brewed, and by all means, serve this to your tea friends, as they are sure to be impressed by its quality. I know that I am impressed by it every time I steep it.
