Essence of Assam

So I was feeling inspired by my own last post (how pretentious!) and I tried to remember how I had scored the other of my Assams, this one especially since it’s the one it’s the longest time since I’ve tried. So I thought I’d look it up. And then I thought I’d make a cup so I could post about while looking it up anyway.

And what I’ve got here is a raisin-y aroma with a very strong honey note.

O.O

Could it be?

Actually, no, at this point it’s mainly just the aroma. It’s actually too hot to drink yet, but I did get a sip and that was very heavy on the raisins.

That aroma though… Yesterday the heavy honey flavour didn’t come out until the last half of the cup, after it had cooled down some. So all hope is not lost.

Letting it cool a bit, I try again and am immediately disappointed by only watery raisins and just some spicy pricklyness. But then the aftertaste hit me. Honey. Whole bee hives of the stuff. At this point it’s only really there on the absolute finish and in the aftertaste, but it gives me some rather interesting expectations for the rest of the cup.

A little further down the cup again, and the honey note has expanded some. It’s not only on the aftertaste any more, it’s just sort of gradually taking over the flavour and afterwards it’s like someone coated the inside of my mouth with honey. It is, however, still not the super-strong honey that I found in AC Perchs’ FTGBOP yesterday afternoon, but it is actually getting close.

But I’m still not sure how exactly I got it to do this.

It’s been a little while since I brewed some of this. This is one hefty tea.

Malty and robust and just – plain – delicious! A nice caramely backdrop to it that melds nicely with the malty flavor.

I’m off to write a review about it for the Tea Review Blog!
http://www.teareviewblog.com

I am finishing off the last of my pouch of this, which I had stashed away and just came across a few days ago. A lovely Assam blend. Rich and malty. It doesn’t appear to have gone stale on me at all, it is still full of flavor.

Since my last cuppa was a darjeeling, I decided that I needed some GUSTO – and this tea definitely is full of IT (err… a GUSTO, I mean, of course).

Seriously, though, this is one very good Assam blend. It has everything that I look for in an Assam – it has a baked, malty, flavorful quality. Chewiness. Lots of depth. Very nice.

I am enjoying mine with a drop of milk – because it goes so well with the chewy – baked qualities… mmmmmm….

After a frantic search through my cupboard I found one more assam tea. This is the only assam I have had that is so smooth it reminds me more of a yunnan than an assam. Don’t get me wrong, I still like this tea very much but sometimes you need a tea that just slaps you upside the head. This tea is much more refined and acts more like a gentleman than a hooligan. Still a fantastic tea though.

This tea is really growing on me. The tea is brisk, robust, and malty. I get honey notes and a raisiny sugar smell from this tea. This blend of assam teas is actually smooth and mellow, not something I can say about other assam teas I have drank. No bitterness or astringency, just smoooooth.

This is such a nice breakfast tea. Its brisk, robust, chewy, smooth and I am even getting honey nuances this morning. Seeing the list of all the teas in this blend makes me want to try each one of them separately. This tea has a wine like consistency and has an underlying sweetness to it. Its one of the few teas that I have that makes me want to make another cup as soon as it is finished.

I’m very low on Assam teas in my cupboard and I usually drink a stronger tea in the morning. This one was a pleasant surprise though. It’s mild and mellow while still being chewy. I’m still not sure if I would classify this as a morning or afternoon tea.

SIPDOWN!!!!
Or should I say SHAKE DOWN!?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk-W_i7Z59I
Bob Seger…Thank you!

Anyhow…first tea of the day! It’s bold and it’s settin’ the mode or mood for the day!