We haven’t done a mid-week blend for a while, and I have just the blend for you this week!
I know we are normally all about the flavored teas, but here’s something a little different. If you are a tea newbie (like we all were at some point), then you might not know this but teas from different regions of the world have very different flavor profiles. Rainfall, altitude, and soil conditions all have an impact on the final leaf. It may all come from the same plant, but the result is very different depending upon where it is grown: from the valleys of Assam to the high mountain grown “Ceylon” teas of Sri Lanka.
Interesting aside: Although it is generally accepted that the best teas in the world come from India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Taiwan, currently, the number one exporter of tea to the United States is…. drumroll, please… Argentina!
Argentina produces a third-rate, mechanically harvested tea which the big grocery store teabag brands use to fill their teabags. This is one of the main reasons why specialty tea companies like ours can exist. Our teas are 1000% better! Okay, off my soapbox now, and back to the tea at hand…
What we have here is a collection of some of the best single-estate Assam teas we could find, blended together to give you
The Essence of Assam
Contains: Dinjan/Kondoli Estate Extra Bold FOP, Dejoo/Greenwood Estate STGFOP, Rembeng Estate Organic FTGFOP, Oakland Estate TGFOP, Oakland Estate TGFOP, and Greenwood Estate Classic STGFOP.
(If you are wondering about those letters, they are simply a measure of the leaf size. Contrary to popular belief, Orange Pekoe (OP) is not a type of tea, it is a leaf size rating. It is the smallest of the whole leaf classes. Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP) is next, then Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP), followed by Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP), and finally, Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP–otherwise known as “Far Too Good For Ordinary People”). A leading ‘S’ in front of any of these grades indicates that the manufacturer considers it “Superior”).
So now that you have been schooled, you really need to give this Assam blend a try. I think most tea enthusiasts would agree that the basic characteristics of a good Assam tea is that it is a bold, dark blend with some honey-like characteristics, particularly when combined with cream and sugar. I personally think this blend with a bit of cream and sugar tastes like a Bit-O-Honey in a mug.
Get yours while you can!
I ordered this back when it was introduced, but since I have so many teas and not enough time in one day to taste them all, I’ve put this one away to try for another day… and this happens to be that day!
This is a very robust tea, which isn’t surprising to me. It has a very hearty, malty flavor that I’m really enjoying – it’s an excellent morning tea.
This is the smoothest assam I have ever had. The tea is brisk, robust, and chewy without any bitterness. I am even having a hard time finding astringency, there is some but not much. Most of my assam drinking has been from single estate teas. It seems that 52teas has taken the best assams and blended them. This tea is really very good. If you have a hard time with assams hitting you in the face with their strength, I would give this tea a try. I have a hard time calling an assam tea smooth and mellow, but this one is close.
Special Thanks to LiberTEAS for this one! I have been wanting to try this!!! :)
This is extremely malty and smooth…very pleasant. Velvety, even!
This is a solid one, indeed!
