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The Subject: Assam #1 from Company Name. (More info on the company.)
Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 7 minutes (see comments)
Tea type: Black
Scents, flavorings added: N/A
Aroma, dry tea leaves: floral, malty
Aroma in the cup, plain: floral, malty
Taste in the cup, plain: floral, malty, with no trace of bitterness – astounding for an Assam!
Aroma in the cup, enhanced: floral, malty
Taste in the cup, enhanced: floral, malty
Additional Infusion(s): One – lighter in color, weak in flavor, not recommended
Comments:
Hubby and I love Assam teas. They tend to epitomize to us what tea should taste like, even after trying such a variety of teas as we have over the years. One thing we always expect from an Assam is bitterness or at least some astringency, especially if it is steeped over 3 minutes (we had to steep this one for 7 minutes to get a strong enough liquid). This one, however, really knocked us for a loop with its total lack of bitterness and astringency.
If you are a tea drinker who likes Assam but don’t like milk in your tea, this is the Assam tea for you! If you like a touch of milk and sweetener, you will find that the floral/malty flavors don’t get lost when you add these. I think we have found the perfect Assam, if it only had a decent 2nd infusion.
As you can see, the tea leaf pieces are good size:
Some Issues We Had:
The tea vendor’s preparation instructions on their website differed from the package label:
…Traditional Steeping: 3 to 5 minutes…
We followed the package label. Actually, since there was a time spread here, we tried the tea after 5 minutes, thought it too weak and continued steeping for 2 more minutes. Also, Hubby and I don’t fall for the organic mumbo-jumbo nor assume that something labeled “organic” is going to be better quality (often, it’s just more expensive and puts extra strain on an industry that in many cases is all they have).
Our taste experience differed from their description:
…the flavor includes notes of flowers, tilled earth, minerals, warming spices, baked apples and, of course, malt. A balanced, refreshing after-taste and a smooth, mellow second infusion keep the flavors of Assam No. 1 coming long after the first sip is gone. Try it with or without milk and sugar…
Hubby and I realize that it can be difficult for tea vendors to write a description of the taste of their tea that agrees with what their customers experience, so we weren’t at all put off by this. However, we recommend that vendors be a bit more realistic so their customers are not disappointed (most of us out here are not trained tea tasters). We detected the malt and floral notes right away, but the rest? Even with my sensitive sniffer and tastebuds, I detected none of the other flavors they claim their tea has. Also, the 2nd infusion was not like they described.
None of this stopped us from giving this tea a top rating. We are so blown away by the wonderful flavor of the 1st infusion.
This tea was part of a package of samples we received from a relatively new tea vendor (started March 2009). Thepuritea.com’s interesting packaging of these samples.
Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.
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