Captain Assam

I would love to take Captain Assam on a date. He’s bold, but oh so gentle.
Seriously though, this is the smoothest Assam I have ever tasted. I expected a kick in the butt this morning, and he delivered caffeine-wise, but taste-wise he was almost mellow. And sweet!

Thank you for the sample LiberTEAS – I have a few cups left and I’m looking forward to them greatly :)

This has been on my WISH LIST for ever – it seems! And thank to my Sororitea Sister LiberTeas I am able to sample it today! Woot! Thanks Girl!!!

I don’t know what I can say that hasn’t already been said by other reviewers here – so – in short…it’s bold, really rich, strong, a bit creamy, a bit fruity, a bit smoky – at times…it seems to have it all!

This tea is FAB! Very memorable!

Backlogging. 5 days ago. Tuesday morning.

The February Backlog: From the 1st to today.

Since I removed Jackee from my steepster cupboard, I figured it was time to add The Captain to it. The first steep was watery tasting as I started to sip with the hearty strength I wanted at the end of each sip. As it cooled some and I sipped more slowly, I began to get that taste throughout the sip. Second steep was lighter though flavorful throughout. I like him, this Captain, and I think I will have more to say about him after I have him another time or two. I’m rating him a 74 to begin with, solidly in the middle of my good range 70-80.

Aye Captain! This smells NOM! The leaf is pretty – little tan tips cresting throughout the dark brown sea of leaf. It’s got a dark, rich scent. Not quite cocoa, but teetering on that edge of decadence.

Once brewed up, it’s a beautiful chestnut color. It’s got an aroma that to me is the essence of tea – that brisk tang of quintessential tea.

Flavor-wise? The captain’s got a softer side! It’s a smooth, mellow initial sip followed by a drying tannic zing. He’s not a wuss, this definitely is a wake-me-up morning tea – I just expected more of a kick in the pants from the seafaring swashbuckler.

Overall assessment? Good tea. Yum.

Oh Captain, I have such a tea-crush on you. You’re full-bodied, rich, malty, just a touch astringent, chock full of caffeine, smooth, and unlike every other Indian black tea I can drink you on an empty stomach. You’re fantastic with or without milk & sugar, and you are oh-so-forgiving about steep times and water temperature. Truly, a prince among teas!

Captain Assam totally saved my butt today. I had to get up so so early and I knew there was no way I’d make it through the day without a strong kick of caffeine. But blacks on an empty stomach make me brutally nauseous, and there was no possibility of scarfing down a meal. So Captain Assam came to the rescue! I used not nearly enough leaf, stepped for a minute too long, added too much milk, and it still did the trick! I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, plus this is just a fantastic-tasting cup of tea. My go-to morning tea for sure… but since it’s a limited edition, I try to save this for special occasions (aka some days I can’t live without it).

Thanks to Batrachoid for this sample.

Dry leaves smell very smoky.

It is quite bold and smoky tasting. Great for waking up in the morning. Malty, and a good assam IMO.

Captain Assam is a pristine example of assam tea. Milk & Sugar added. Just as good as my favorite english breakfast blends. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a bold black tea. Thanks Alphakitty for the sample :-)

I eyed these when they first came out, but resisted because my tea cupboard was overflowing. Now it’s not, and the Mermaid and her Captain were on sale! I’ve really come to enjoy plain Assams over the last few months, and had been wanting a new one. This is a great example of the type, too. Malty and rich, easy to oversteep, some sweet honey flavors if you get it just right. I like the first steep with milk, to give it some more body, and spread out the flavor a little. A second steep, plain, is mellow with lots of honey notes.

I wish I could get my water hotter, but I’m making this at my desk and don’t have a sink handy for rinsing with hot water :( Oh well, still has plenty of flavor even with sub-boiling water.

I’ve been waiting for news from these guys since what feels like the dawn of time! So when it finally happened I hastily bought me a set. (and threw in a set of S3 too, just because it was there and the Caravan is teh awesum!) I was interested to see that they had an Assam again, since they’d had one before. I never got to try any of S2 so it suited me fine. And yes, I’m aware that it’s not the same one, but it’s close enough. I was a little afraid of it, to be honest. What if it would turn out to be The Perfect Assam? Just my luck that my TPA would turn out to be a limited edition!

The leaves smelled very raisin-y sweet dry and it’s more or less the same thing after steeping. I managed to overbrew it a tad, so it’s rather strong this morning. Typical when trying something for the first time.

It’s got quite a sticky astringency. It is astringent, largely I expect due to my own brewing mistake, but there’s a feeling to it as if there’s sugar in it. Sort of sweet in a sticky way, a bit like the way soda is sticky. The raisin flavour is intact though, as is the funny cardboard-y quality.

Raisins and cardboard. The Assam characteristics, apparently.

In spite of it being overdone, I feel safe enough in giving it a preliminary rating. As always it’s likely to be adjusted several times when I manage to get a proper cup put together. I don’t know yet if it is the Perfect Assam or not, but it’s definitely not eliminated from the competition.

I was so happy to open my mailbox and find that distinctive package in my mailbox! Yay!

This is an excellent Assam. Not quite as hearty as some Assam teas that I’ve tried, but it is incredibly smooth with a delicious sweetness. Not quite as astringent as other Assam teas out there.

And then, there is the packaging… these tins are gorgeous! Love them!

Drunk without milk or sugar — ‘bare tea,’ in Newfoundland English.

My heart deeply wounded by the absence — rather, by my never getting to try — Thomas Sampson (though he did send me a lovely note), I thought to ring up the Captain, who, surely, cannot be as harsh and hard as he’d like everyone to think. After all, he seeks a mermaid.

I’m sorry. I just love the writing round the teas from A&D.

Received my order in the storm of a very bad day. Couldn’t even properly welcome the Captain, just showed him his berth.

This morning: dry long leaves with plenty of golden tips, smelling raisin-y, as others have noted. Sweet. Brewed for 6 minutes by mistake, 1 TB for 500mL of boiling water.

Oh.

My.

First those high sweet notes of a really good Assam. Then strength and heft. A heavier mouthfeel to this one, but it’s lovely - creamy, silky. A bit malty on the sides of the tongue, a slight bit of astringency in the aftertaste- but I did overbrew by two minutes; A&D recommend a four-minute steep. But these are characteristics of Assam that I love and desire. A clean finish, but you know you’re drinking TEA. ‘Proper tea’, as my English war-bride grandmother would call it, that will get you through a storm and help you recover afterwards. The sort of tea George Orwell meant when discussing the virtues of Indian tea: ‘First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays — it is economical, and one can drink it without milk — but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase ’a nice cup of tea’ invariably means Indian tea.’ (_Evening Standard, 12 Jan 1946).

Not at all a harsh Assam. But a very strong one. Ideal.

And Captain Assam’s High Seas Elixir is, of course, a limited edition. I don’t know whether to hoard or binge. Probably binge. Then it won’t go stale.

(For the record, I do not despise China black tea; in fact, sometimes nothing else will do. But I do agree with Orwell that it doesn’t pack the same punch as India black yea.)

Bold, rich, full, but very smooth. Another Damn Fine hit.

This is a lighter Assam tea, but does pack that caffeine! I took this with me to my Ancient Philosophy class this morning, and the Captain made my morning. The tea is very much in the vein of a breakfast tea, shown in its lighter flavor profile. It is lightly malty, and creamy. I added some milk this morning to cool the tea off before sipping, and that just made it creamier!

For a more in dpeth review of this tea… check my blog! http://bit.ly/db9MJe

Today is exceptionally damp and chilly, a real seashore sort of morning. Perfect for finally breaking open this bold Assam! Even at three and a half minutes this is quite strong and enough to shake the sleep from me. The initial flavor is old amber, woody with carob and a sharp port call of a finish. It has a refreshing aroma of peat moss and old books. I don’t need yancha every day, so I’ll see how many misty mornings I can make this treasure last.

Oh my goodness! Now that’s an assam! It’s malty and strong, but not harsh at all! It’s not something I’d want to drink all the time, but it’d be perfect on a really rainy day or if I had to be up before the sun. Yum!

THANKS TO ANDREWS AND DUNHAM DAMN FINE TEA for this sample!!!!!
NOW that’s a good cuppa tea. Rivaling coffee, it’s strong strong strong! Love it! Deep dark black tea taken with three sugars, bold and heavy, with a note of tobacco smoke. Arrrrrr, matey.

I’m tempted to start this review with “O Captain! My Captain!” But lets face it, in the poem the captain is dead, and that just doesn’t feel right for such a robust and lively Captain, now does it?

This is a lovely tea. Can Andrews and Dunham do wrong? I’m beginning to think not. Captain Assam is bold, smooth, and rich, but not overly strong, if you know what I mean. A bit of an astringency, but nothing off-putting. Tannic, as another reviewer said. I don’t think it is as malty as the Assam Banaspaty from David’s Tea that I’ve had previously and also loved. What a smart cookie my husband is, getting me all that Andrews and Dunham had to offer this Christmas. I do believe, until it is gone, this is going to be my new morning tea.

I wasn’t really aware how inexperienced I was with assams until I tried this. I really have nothing to compare it to, so I am struggling a bit with how to describe this tea. Overall it’s very smooth, and light (many black teas coat the tongue, especially when steeped for a while, but this one doesn’t at all). Honestly, there’s not much to distinguish it as far as uniqueness goes. It’s just a really nice, kind of quiet morning or afternoon tea.

I was super-excited to see that the new A&D series featured an Assam… my favoritest of teas. I got my order last night, and waited patiently until the morning to try it out.

I held off on this review until my second cup, because the first just didn’t seem to have much to it. It’s a bit lighter than a few of the Assams I’ve tried. Still a good cup of tea, though. Definitely a smooth, mellow Assam.

I also think that I might not be tasting things properly this morning, so I may have to adjust my rating later on. I feel kind of… meh.

Captain Assam’s High Sea Elixir from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Teas – courtesy of Quilt guppy – Dry: faint, slightly peachy aroma with hints of carob and malt

Wet: Walnut shells, autumn earth, moss
Leaf: FOP fully oxidized, green-brown umber hue
Cup: First extraction: blonde, reddish hued liquor with smooth, soft tannins and rich front note of dark honey. Surprisingly smooth and lacking in astringency, with pleasant lingering flavors that roll around the palate. Slight hint of malt and stone fruit, but sweet and clean. 2nd extraction: deeper ruddy-rust colored extraction with brighter tannins, crisp malt notes and lingering sweetness. No trace of fruit, but classic Assam malt, spice, tannin profile and body brisk and clean. 3rd extraction: yellow-copper hued liquor, some mild tannic definition, spice notes softly play, but the cup has lost much of its complexity and offers a velvet mouth feel that leaves the ‘classic’ Assam flavor remaining. Overall, not the most complex or layered Assam I’ve ever had and I suspect it’s a 2nd/3rd flush blend from the region around the Rembeng Estate area. The first cup was lovely, but not quite as deep as the Assam Mangalam Estate, or as brassy-malty as Rembeng Estate, but still a nice cup. As this was a gift from dear Quilt Guppy, I hope it was a reasonable priced Assam as it fits within the ‘expected’ parameters of teas from that region and I can see it being blended into a hearty Irish Breakfast or used as a base for a rich iced tea.
Brewing: Traditional porcelain cupping set, using 3g per 6 oz in 200 degree water, steeped for 3 min (1st steep) and increasing time by one min/per steep.
Thank you again Quilt Guppy….your beautiful gift will not go without praise, if for nothing other than to regale the generous nature of your character!