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!
Himalayan Golden Tips/Rakkasan Tea Co.
This black tea comes from tea farms in Nepal. The region they harvest is similar and close to Darjeeling but production is much lower than the famous Darjeeling due to previous wars and the fact that their tea industry is undeveloped. These days production comes from six districts: Ilam, Dhankuta, Kaski, Terhathum, Sindhulpalchok, and Panchthar. Golden Tips from Rakkasan come from the IIam district from small farms. While not true for all farms, this tea is hand-plucked resulting in the big tea leaves you see below. The color is due to the the oxidation after 10-14 hours of wilting.Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rakkasan Tea Company
Description:
Our Himalayan Golden Tips are hand-plucked and almost entirely made up of whole leaf buds. To make the fresh and stiff tea leaves flexible for shaping, the leaves are wilted between 10-14 hours depending upon climactic conditions. After gentle shaping, the leaves are fully oxidized, which turns the leaf buds a golden brown. This tea has creamy and cocoa notes that linger long on the palate—especially without milk or sugar.
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!
Old Tree from Old Ways Tea. . .
As this tea’s blend suggests, this tea is from an old tea tree. According to Old Ways Tea’s site, old trees run rampant and have huge roots that change the mineral content and flavor of the tea. They also are home to little ecosystems that live in their big, dense branches, including lichen and moisture and all sorts of funky goodness* that translates into the leaf’s flavor.
* (Note: The phrase “funky goodness” does not appear in the original description of the tea, to its detriment.)
This tea is indeed mineral-ish, and a little bit spicy/smoked. It almost has a heat to its flavor. Is it possible for tea to have… a natural kick? Because this does.
This is the Southern BBQ of tea. The flavor is kind of rugged. The kind of thing a man’s man would enjoy while turning a spit with a hog on it first thing in the morning. Later in the day, I imagine a man’s man would turn to beer, but this is a good solid push into anyone’s busy day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Old Ways Tea
Description
This is black tea produced from older wild style trees. The trees are allowed to grow as they wish getting much bigger than normal. The trees are different in two distinct ways. First since they are older trees the roots have reached past the upper soil into the rocks below and can access a broader mineral content than young trees; providing additional flavor complexity. Secondly the wild style trees are denser which provides a micro-climate influencing the lichen, leaves, and shading of the tree.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Keemun Chinese Black Tea from The Tea Spot
I love the discovery of new tea flavors, finding their nuances, comparing and contrasting from a baseline. I started educating myself on tea with subscription boxes, and still have a soft spot for them. Looks like Tea Spot will be my next choice. They offer a monthly subscription box for $16 for about an ounce worth of 5-6 teas and also a quarterly loose leaf club at $45 for 3+ teas of one chosen style, in larger portions obviously. This selection seems to be from the former.
The dry Keemun smells very gentle, a bit like the coriander in my cupboard. There are uniformly tight, straight, leaves, appearing medium on the spectrum of browns. I see some broken bits in wet leaves and a tamarind color brew. It smells subtly sweet, and reminds me of cherries – cheerful but with a slightly tart finish. 1 heaping tsp per 8 oz from the brewing instructions, does not make a strong tea, which some people prefer. I’m not the type to drink this flavor straight, because tannins and I are frenemies. I think it is It may leave a slight orange taste in my mouth but, this tea is still excellent at its job of caffeinating me!
Just like the Beastie Boys, I like my Sugar with [Keemun] and cream, too sweet to be sour, too nice to be mean.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Description:
A splendor of toasty flavor and aroma! The most refined and perhaps the most well-known of Chinese black teas, this Keemun is handpicked in Anhui Province. This tea has an indescribable flavor, with the most delicate hints of smoky pine, orchid, crushed apple and a rich, sweet body.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
