I’m very pleased to present a multi-morning review of No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 from Steven Smith Teamaker, Western style without sweeteners, milk, or cream.
Intro: I confidently ordered this tea based on LiberTEAS excellent recommendations 2 years ago:
- http://steepster.com/LiberTEAS/posts/104708
- http://steepster.com/LiberTEAS/posts/135003
After placing my order, I saw that boychik cautioned 7 months ago that the recent batch of this tea maybe on the bitter side: http://steepster.com/boychik/posts/211831#comments. I then began to wonder … Does this Assam have a consistent taste profile from year to year? … Should I have blindly ordered 4 oz.?
Per: http://www.smithtea.com/shop/black/assam
“Preparation
For best flavor, bring freshly drawn filtered water to a boil. Steep five minutes. A good time to practice the sitar.”
Note: The incomplete instructions do NOT specify how much tea or water. Is one supposed to assume 1 tsp. (level, rounded, heaping?) and a 6 oz. teacup, an 8 oz. cup, or something larger?
Given boychik’s warning and the incomplete brewing instructions, I was now less certain how much I would enjoy this Assam.
Leaf: Thin twisted dark chocolate-brown leaves 1.5 cm long or less with many golden tips.
Fragrance: Rich high-quality pipe tobacco
Liquor: Clear brilliant copper
Aroma: Malt, caramel & sweet potato – ah!
Flavor: Malt, caramel, honey
1 tsp. (2.6 g) / 8 oz. / 212F / 5 min:
Aroma: Robust and malty.
This is a smooth, rich, malty and satisfying Assam. However, the malty flavor overshadowed any hint of caramel and there was woodiness at the end of the sip.
Having not yet achieved the same results as LiberTeas, I then looked at previous tasting notes for this Assam and tried the following brewing recommendations:
Scribbles: 1 tsp. (2.6g) / 8 oz. / “just off boiling” (I used 208F) / 5 min:
To my taste buds, the bold malty Assam still overshadows the caramel. Near the bottom of the cool cup, the sweet caramel was more obvious. There was a dry finish with some astringency near the front of my tongue. Fortunately, the woodiness was no longer present with the lower temperature.
Resteep:
6 & 7-min. – not yet. 8-min – ? 10-min. produced a light-bodied cup with a similar flavor profile.
Nicole: 1.5 tsp. (3.5 g) / 10 oz. / 205F / 2.5 min:
Aroma: Malt with hints of both caramel & sweet potato – ah!
This preparation provided a bold, rich, and malty with a definite caramel sweetness and a dry finish. The cup was very invigorating.
Terri HarpLady: 1 tsp. (2.6g) / 8 oz. / 212F / 3-4 min:
3 min. produced a rich, smooth, full-bodied malty Assam with a yummy caramel sweetness. There was no hint of bitterness and minimal astringency. As the cup cools there is a honey-like sweetness. Very satisfying! Now we’re talking!! Terri’s experience reviewing this tea 12 times truly paid off!
Resteep: Not recommended.
Impression: I’m very pleased to have finally found exactly what LiberTEAS so accurately described in her tasting note. No. 49 is apparently consistent and definitely Carmalicious!
Thanks to all who contributed detailed brewing tips in their tasting notes or the comments of the No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 thread. Your guidance was very helpful for this tea especially given the incomplete brewing instructions.
Recommendation Not having to discover the optimum brewing parameters through “trial & error” would be very helpful and greatly appreciated. Having to do so is very inefficient, wastes valuable tea, and IMHO impairs the progress and joy of tea exploration. In retrospect, it’s a very good thing that I ordered 4 ounces!
My favorite tea suppliers evaluate each crop / batch of tea every year to determine the optimum brewing parameters. This insures the best possible first impression of their tea, greatly increases customer satisfaction, and thus increases word-of-mouth advertising – the best form of advertising that money can’t buy. You never have a 2nd chance to make an Outstanding First Impression.
Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teaware/royal-albert/45581-old-country-roses-afternoontea-mugs
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39312-perfect-preset-tea-timer (for 212F brewing)
http://steepster.com/teaware/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer
Flavors: Caramel, Honey, Malt
Preparation
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Comments
I’m glad you have managed to achieve satisfactory results with this tea. I really love Steven Smith’s teas. I realize that I’m not at all precise with my eyeballing of the parameters … I guess after having brewed tea for as long as I have, I just … sort of get a feel for it, and that’s where I work from. I’m not good with timers, scales, measurements or anything like that. That said, I am happy that you found some satisfaction from this tea because it’s a good one!
Wow, outstanding review!
Great review! My grocery store sells the bagged version of this tea, but I think I want to give the loose leaf version a try.
LiberTEAS, Agreed, SST No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 is a good one! Thanks for your recommendation!
I would be curious to know how many tsp. or Tbsp = one bamboo tea scoop?
Since you use a Breville One Touch, it provides the brewing temperature and time. Per the owner’s manual, the “glass jug” has markings for 500ml / 2 cups, 750ml / 3 cups, 1000ml / 4 cups, & 1200ml / 5 cups and a max of 41 oz. of tea.
Adding any of the known brewing parameters to your reviews would helpful. Thanks again!
Thanks Nightshifter!
Thanks Veronica! The SST bagged and loose tea should be identical. However, the bagged version probably more $/oz. for the convenience. Also, with bags you can’t fine tune the amount of tea per cup unless you cut the bag open.
Great analysis!
Thanks Doug F!
I didn’t like it. I don’t think Assam should be so complicated to find best parameters. I didn’t find mine. it was either too bitter or too weak. I had 2oz, maybe 1 or 2 tsp left
“I don’t think Assam should be so complicated to find best parameters.” Agreed! That’s why I’m a big fan of companies like TeaVivre that provide complete brewing instructions which are optimized for each crop year.
I was annoyed when I called them up to ask what am I doing wrong, the lady was keep telling me same thing over and over 5 min 212F. I love Lord Bergamot and Fez, but I’d rather buy my Assam fr Harney. Mike Harney is very helpful
I agree, there’s no substitute for great customer service.
@looseTman – I don’t think I had the breville back when I had this tea. I could be wrong, in which case, I would say that for an Assam I probably used 205°F water and 500ml for approximately 2 bamboo scoops of tea. I would estimate that the bamboo scoop equals approximately 2 tsp. So yeah, I probably use more tea than I need … but then it’s always been my own personal preference to want a tea strong and as fully flavored as possible.
@boychik – I’m sorry that you encountered poor service from Smith Teamakers. I usually shop in their Portland tea shop, and I’ve always encountered very good service. But, yeah, it can be frustrating when you encounter poor service and I don’t blame you at all for your frustration.
Thanks LiberTEAS! I too like strong full-flavored black teas. I’ll give your brewing parameters a try.
Oh … and with an Assam in the Breville … I always brew for 2 minutes. The reason is that the Breville does keep the water warmer than the process of pouring hot water into the tea pot does, even if you temper your tea pot and cover the tea pot with a cozy to keep it warm. This is something that I did learn from Trial and Error because my Assams would always come out bitter after steeping for 2 1/2 minutes, I realized that it’s because the Breville temp doesn’t drop the way that steeping in my tea pot did.
After making tea just now, I took a step to measure how much tea fit into my bamboo scoop. I would say it’s closer to a generously heaped teaspoon than 2 teaspoons. Of course, this also depends greatly on the leaf itself. Which is why I suppose the most accurate way to get the right amount of tea is a scale. Unfortunately, my stubbornness won’t allow me to get all accurate when it comes to tea measurement. Tea should be simple. No scales.
Excellent review! I’ll have to try Terri’s parameters next time.
LiberTEAS, It’s always good to know what was learned from someone else’s Trial and Error experience. Why reinvent the wheel?
OK, 1 one bamboo tea scoop = 1 generously heaped teaspoon. does this = 1.25, 1.5, or 1.75 tsp.?
Any thoughts on this one? http://www.theteamerchant.net/teaware/accessories/tea-scoop/tea-scoop-and-tong/. How does it compare to yours?
Thanks again!
Thanks Nicole! Yes, Terri’s parameters were a big help! Steepster is a definitely wealth of info!
@looseTman – my bamboo scoop is very much like that one.
I think it would probably be closer to 1.5 tsp.
I’m glad you have managed to achieve satisfactory results with this tea. I really love Steven Smith’s teas. I realize that I’m not at all precise with my eyeballing of the parameters … I guess after having brewed tea for as long as I have, I just … sort of get a feel for it, and that’s where I work from. I’m not good with timers, scales, measurements or anything like that. That said, I am happy that you found some satisfaction from this tea because it’s a good one!
Wow, outstanding review!
Great review! My grocery store sells the bagged version of this tea, but I think I want to give the loose leaf version a try.
LiberTEAS, Agreed, SST No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 is a good one! Thanks for your recommendation!
I would be curious to know how many tsp. or Tbsp = one bamboo tea scoop?
Since you use a Breville One Touch, it provides the brewing temperature and time. Per the owner’s manual, the “glass jug” has markings for 500ml / 2 cups, 750ml / 3 cups, 1000ml / 4 cups, & 1200ml / 5 cups and a max of 41 oz. of tea.
Adding any of the known brewing parameters to your reviews would helpful. Thanks again!
Thanks Nightshifter!
Thanks Veronica! The SST bagged and loose tea should be identical. However, the bagged version probably more $/oz. for the convenience. Also, with bags you can’t fine tune the amount of tea per cup unless you cut the bag open.
Great analysis!
Thanks Doug F!
I didn’t like it. I don’t think Assam should be so complicated to find best parameters. I didn’t find mine. it was either too bitter or too weak. I had 2oz, maybe 1 or 2 tsp left
“I don’t think Assam should be so complicated to find best parameters.” Agreed! That’s why I’m a big fan of companies like TeaVivre that provide complete brewing instructions which are optimized for each crop year.
I was annoyed when I called them up to ask what am I doing wrong, the lady was keep telling me same thing over and over 5 min 212F. I love Lord Bergamot and Fez, but I’d rather buy my Assam fr Harney. Mike Harney is very helpful
I agree, there’s no substitute for great customer service.
@looseTman – I don’t think I had the breville back when I had this tea. I could be wrong, in which case, I would say that for an Assam I probably used 205°F water and 500ml for approximately 2 bamboo scoops of tea. I would estimate that the bamboo scoop equals approximately 2 tsp. So yeah, I probably use more tea than I need … but then it’s always been my own personal preference to want a tea strong and as fully flavored as possible.
@boychik – I’m sorry that you encountered poor service from Smith Teamakers. I usually shop in their Portland tea shop, and I’ve always encountered very good service. But, yeah, it can be frustrating when you encounter poor service and I don’t blame you at all for your frustration.
Thanks LiberTEAS! I too like strong full-flavored black teas. I’ll give your brewing parameters a try.
Oh … and with an Assam in the Breville … I always brew for 2 minutes. The reason is that the Breville does keep the water warmer than the process of pouring hot water into the tea pot does, even if you temper your tea pot and cover the tea pot with a cozy to keep it warm. This is something that I did learn from Trial and Error because my Assams would always come out bitter after steeping for 2 1/2 minutes, I realized that it’s because the Breville temp doesn’t drop the way that steeping in my tea pot did.
After making tea just now, I took a step to measure how much tea fit into my bamboo scoop. I would say it’s closer to a generously heaped teaspoon than 2 teaspoons. Of course, this also depends greatly on the leaf itself. Which is why I suppose the most accurate way to get the right amount of tea is a scale. Unfortunately, my stubbornness won’t allow me to get all accurate when it comes to tea measurement. Tea should be simple. No scales.
Excellent review! I’ll have to try Terri’s parameters next time.
LiberTEAS, It’s always good to know what was learned from someone else’s Trial and Error experience. Why reinvent the wheel?
OK, 1 one bamboo tea scoop = 1 generously heaped teaspoon. does this = 1.25, 1.5, or 1.75 tsp.?
Any thoughts on this one? http://www.theteamerchant.net/teaware/accessories/tea-scoop/tea-scoop-and-tong/. How does it compare to yours?
Thanks again!
Thanks Nicole! Yes, Terri’s parameters were a big help! Steepster is a definitely wealth of info!
@looseTman – my bamboo scoop is very much like that one.
I think it would probably be closer to 1.5 tsp.