Ahmad Tea

Tastes very similar to Twinings Darjeeling, but a little stronger, and somewhat less astringent. A sweet flowery taste as it touches the tongue, followed by a slightly bitter aftertaste, even with sugar added.

I bought this tea in a Jordan market for $7 and really got a whole lot of bang for my buck. It seems the package was NASA approved shrink sealed because as soon as I opened it and air got in the loose tea seemed to be spilling out at an alarming pace and I ended up filling 1 huge glad container and a smaller one that I kept at my office. I was offering ceylon tea to coworkers more than I was working it seemed. As for taste, I love a nice strong tea in the morning and I packed my strainer full of this and got a really good caffeine fix every morning. (Side note: still haven’t finished this in two years…. not even close)

For me, the best Ceylon out there and I’m a loose leaf snob. I’m not quite sure why bergamot is mentioned in the tea description on Steepster, but I can tell you that there is NO bergamot in this tea. They save that for their English Afternoon. Caramel sweetness, nice bloom, mild astringency. I agree with the other taster that this is morning stuff. I don’t know why but it seems to be very high in caffeine.

Fleurdelily sent me a couple of these bags, and also some strawberry ones of the same brand. I’m mentioning those here as well because the packaging of these bags is amazingly attractive. All colourful and with large drawings of the fruits in question. The sort of packaging that says ‘you KNOW I will taste good, because I look so good!’ From the moment I took them out of the box, I was looking forward to trying them.

That happens very rarely for me when I see bagged tea!

I’m having the peach and passionfruit now, and I must say that peach is a funny thing for me. I like peaches to eat and peach-flavoured things in general, but have always avoided it in tea because it is very much a hit and miss flavour for me. I never know what I’ll get with peaches in tea, and there doesn’t seem to exist a middle of the road for me.

Apart from the packaging, I must admit I wasn’t expecting much from a bagged tea in the peach-flavour-liking department, but perhaps it’s the addition of the passionfruit that does it here, because this one is actually quite pleasant. (Could also depend on what sort of base is used, I guess)

I think it has passionflowers as well as passionfruit actually, because there is a fairly floral taste to it, which prevents the peach from getting that nearly cloying flavour that I dislike in peach tea. Ironic really, because I don’t normally care much for floral teas either.

This one tastes quite warm and autumn-y, which is a surprise because I always connect tropical flavours with summer, but there is a sort of spicy note in here which may be the floral aspect or something else entirely that just says autumn. It fits the current grey and wet weather rather nicely.

I’m pleased with this.

A fairly standard loose Ceylon, strong, good for early mornings. It lacks the subtlety of finer single-estate fare, though, so if you want something a bit more distinguished, steer clear.

Ahmad tea is my favorite tea.

This tea reminds of Ahmad Tea’s English Breakfast tea with a little less flavor. However, it’s still very enjoyable especially with the addition of milk.

Airplane tea.

This is the 3rd time I’ve drank (such a funny word) this tea and I’ve never had to add anything to it, it simply tastes good on its own. It’s comforting and has plenty of body without being overpowering.

I have a little loose-leaf tin of this tucked away, and it has the sweetest, most wonderful strawberry smell. However as it typical of fruit-flavoured black teas, the flavour doesn’t copy over exactly! After making this iced earlier today I had a little hot tea left over for a tasting; and, black, brewed strong, it has a lot of astringency to get past before finding the fresh, malty fruit notes in this. It’s unlike a fruit tea where the fruit is just an afterthought; it definitely works alongside the black tea, although that might take a strong brew to discover.

Was given to me by friend. The aroma was very powerful and fantastic; the flavour was lighter than expected compare to the initial hit of the aroma. But overall very enjoyable tea.

Brilliant.

It’s unusual to see apple flavours paired with a black tea – usually it’s with a green or white tea base, I’ve found. It smells quite fragrant like a sweet ripe, freshly cut apple. The flavour is interesting, starting and finishing with apple notes and in between is the black tea which is a tad astringent. Pretty tasty all told.

Pureleaf sent me some of this! Thanks a bunch :)

This is a nice darjeeling. Not as astringent as some Darjeelings and like that just fine and dandy.

It’s sightly floral and slightly citrusy, even.

This is very satisfying for the time of day – YAY!

I picked this tea up when I was visiting an Iranian friend in Victoria – apparently this is one of his favorite teas. For a bagged tea it’s not bad at all. The addition of the bergamot gives the tea a subtle earl grey flavour, though this is more apparent when the tea is taken plain rather than with milk. It has a hearty, robust kick to it but at the same time it’s smooth enough that it can be drunk without milk if you prefer your tea with no additives.

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @100C, steeped 4 minutes, drunk bare.

A very good Ceylon. It doesn’t scream ‘copper’, like Lover’s Leap Estate does, but it is unmistakably Ceylon black tea. I tend for forget about it, as I like to around with the fancy China teas and the bold Assams, but Ahmnad’s Ceylon is quiet, dependable, and delicious. No bitterness at 4 minutes.

1.5 tsp for 300mL @ 100C, steeped 3 minutes, drunk bare.

A creamy Ceylon, lots of body and heft. I like it better at 3 minutes versus my former 5. Bright and brisk, with some pucker, and a very comforting scent.

There is no bergamot in this tea. It’s just straight up blended Ceylon.

This would be lovely cold-brewed for an iced tea. It also cries out for an afternoon tea party, with sandwiches and cookies.

1.5 tsp for 250mL water @ 95C, steeped four minutes, drunk bare.

This is a really good Ceylon tea. Bright and cheerful.My mom-in-law will make an entire 6-cup pot from the amount I use for a cup, so it’s pretty versatile. Forgives an accidentally long steep, but I find I really like it at the four-minute mark. Would welcome cookies and shortbreads, I think; I’d fearlessly serve this as a fancy tea party.

1 rounded tsp per 250mL cup, steeped 5 minutes.

I got this as a gift, a great big half-pound box of it, and man, am I happy about that. A bright Ceylon, tasting of sunshine. No copper notes, as you’d get from the Lover’s Leap estate, but then this is a blend. A really, really good blend. Light in body but complex in flavour. Some heft, some classic Ceylon tea taste, a a very slight mineral note in the finish, that ‘clean’ taste. Refreshing.

Certainly a great any time of the day tea.

You will be hard pressed to have a good golden tippy full leaf Assam tea for the price of around $8.

It carries a medium punch of caffeine along with good astringency.

I tend to like the serving color at amber, which would mean cutting the recommended steeping time in half (8mins is recommended).

Beware: Steeping for 8mins or longer will produce a much higher astringency (bitter, even) and a jolt of caffeine equaled to a kick from the south end of a north bound mule! :)

It’s been quite awhile since I last had this tea, and was in the mood for something a little different. This particular pot I decided to make a pot of Moroccan Mint, of which the result was amazing!

Even after a couple hours now, I’m still thinking of making more of this delicious tea. There is something about adding mint to a smokier, yet smooth green tea that can get the taste buds, craving more.

My rating will reflect the green tea without the mint, which is a nice green tea. There is no comparison here though. Either I’m in the mood for a more mintier flavored beverage, or this is one of the greatest, small addition one can make to a tea.

BTW: My rating for this go around would be 96 – no questions!

Very aromatic and smooth to the taste, with a very light floral note. It tends to have a very slight bitter aftertaste (even with a shorter steep time and lower temp). I personally brew this tea a minute shorter than recommended, results in a lighter tangerine amber color and less bitter aftertaste. Also, I find it a great midday/early afternoon choice of leaf. There is no need for sweetener,however will splurge occasionally with a turbinado sugar, orange blossom honey or white agave nectar.

Backlog: This is not a bad tea for the buy, however I’m not very experienced in this style of flavored teas to rate this one properly. It’s much stronger smelling with the dry leaves, than the liquid it produces. The dark leaves are enticing, however it’s very bold aroma made me slightly leery of proceeding forward with.

I must say that I must taste other Earl Grey’s to adequately define it’s range of boldness and comparative qualities. Overall, this tea encounter was nice and fitting for a early evening brew of tea.