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Tea of the morning here, 2/4 of Upton’s assam sampler.

I don’t have a lot of experience with CTC’s aside from knowing they are produced in a different way than orthodox teas so here’s a short primer for the curious: http://t-buds.com/orthodox-vs-ctc-teas-body-vs-flavor/

I steeped this for 3 minutes but might try it for 2 next time. It is definitely a strong assam, bold and malty with a bit of a winey aftertaste and some bitterness too. Definitely a lot better with milk and sugar and very eye opening. Meh, maybe I’m a tea snob but I much prefer the traditional assam leaf.

I have read this is primarily what they use to make chai with in India but traditionally chai is made with a lot of milk.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
TastyBrew

I had this tea early on when I first really started getting into loose leaf and I could pretty much only drink black tea with cream and honey. I loved this one because its soooo strong. I can only drink it with milk and honey. Many other teas from that time I’ve grown out of, but I do still love this one. On mornings when I need an extra boost, this tea does the trick and then some!

TastyBrew

But I’m with you, most CTCs aren’t great.

Tealizzy

Thanks for the primer! I really didn’t know what they were, but I definitely have some in my cupboard and they are not my favorites.

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TastyBrew

I had this tea early on when I first really started getting into loose leaf and I could pretty much only drink black tea with cream and honey. I loved this one because its soooo strong. I can only drink it with milk and honey. Many other teas from that time I’ve grown out of, but I do still love this one. On mornings when I need an extra boost, this tea does the trick and then some!

TastyBrew

But I’m with you, most CTCs aren’t great.

Tealizzy

Thanks for the primer! I really didn’t know what they were, but I definitely have some in my cupboard and they are not my favorites.

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My profile pic is of a pink dahlia at Golden Gate Park.

Hobbies include: tea, making art, animals, vegan things, buddhism, nature, creativity, books, writing, cooking, meditation, yoga.

I am a fan of many different teas but my favorites are blacks and oolongs, chai, also like darjeeling and pu-erh. I’n always learning and expanding my horizons!

Dislikes include: bergamot, jasmine, highly tannic or bitter teas, overly judgmental and bitter people. :)

Live in San Francisco, I’m a SINK (single income, no kids) and love the urban life, but traveling out to the middle of nowhere is always fun too.

I tend to not drink things I know I will hate so a lot of my tea ratings are on the higher side. Here’s my rating system, sorta

95-100 I love this tea and would like to keep it around

94-90 An excellent tea which I may or may not repurchase

89-80 Pretty good, above average

79-70 Acceptable

69-60 Mundane – Will probably drink it if I have it

59-50 Ick

49 and below Nasty

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San Frandisco

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http://sanfrantea.teatra.de

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