I got this for the office at lunch because it described itself as “pre-portioned loose leaf” and “connosseur grade, whole leaf Assam”. It sounded promising- at least for a work tea.
I opened one of the packets and there’s a lot of tea in each one. I could probably use half of that portion in a cup, but I used the whole thing just this once as that’s the pre-portioned size. The tea contained a lot of dust for something that describes itself as “whole leaf”. I became skeptical of it at that point, but the tea smelled like a malty assam, so I guessed it couldn’t be too bad, right?
The liquor becomes dark reddish brown almost instantly and I couldn’t imagine steeping it for longer than I did- about 2 minutes.
First thought on sipping: Astringent! Astringent! Astringent! As it cools, it’s getting a little more bearable, but it’s definitely still there.
As I keep sipping, I’m detecting some maltiness and a slight fruity sweetness. I find myself craving some milk to cut through the astringency.
Further cooled it becomes more fruity and I even detect hints of chocolate, but not as sweet or smooth as other assams I’ve had.
I’m going to experiment with this at work, but I’m going to use half of a packet next time and steep it for even less time.
