Malty Assam

This is a delightful Assam. Malty is right! I don’t think I’ve tasted a maltier tea. It is strong and bold with an undertone of sweet caramel notes. There is a note of bitter towards the middle of the sip – not one of those “I oversteeped the Assam” kind of bitter tastes, but more of a “hint of bitterness that is here to cut through some of the heavier notes of this tea and make things interesting” kind of bitterness that is ever so slight.

Teasnob mentioned a “salty” note to this tea, and I am tasting that too. I didn’t get it in the first couple of sips, but, now that I’m about a 1/4th of the way through this cup the salty tone is presenting itself. It’s a very interesting quality to this tea that I don’t think I’ve really ever experienced before – I like it!

This was my breakfast tea today. Good and strong malty deliciousness, turning into yummy caramel. A little bitterness as it cooled. I drank it plain, then tried adding cream, which was lovely. A second steep was good too. I don’t think this is a complex tea, but it does malt/caramel/bitter very nicely.

Actually, I think Assam may provide the slurp factor in Andrews and Dunham’s Caravan. I acquired this Assam in an attempt to prevent a broken heart when I run out of A&D. I mixed a little with my cover version of Caravan this evening. Mmm, not bad.

Also, this was my first tin from The Tao of Tea. I didn’t realize their tins were so pretty! They have a little knob on the inner lid. So nice!

★★★☆☆

Flavor Notes:
•Malty
•Sweet
•Astringent (tangy)

The brew smells malty and sweet. There are sweet roasted undertones to the smell.

The tea has lightly roasted overtones. You can almost taste the ceder smoke in the tea. There are malty undertones, but not as intense as the smell initially suggested. It is also not as sweet as the smell initially suggested. The tea in fact has a little bit of a kick to it. It is not a bitter taste, but more like a hint of salt behind each sip. Sometimes it even reminds me of salted nuts because of the roasted salt flavor.

For the rest of the tasting notes, please check my blog.
http://teasnobbery.com/2010/09/10/tea-review-malty-assam-from-tao-of-tea/