Premium Taiwanese Assam

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Chocolate, Raisins, Cream, Cocoa, Fruity, Malt, Brown Sugar, Burnt Sugar, Caramel, Dried Fruit, Molasses, Bread, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Honey, Cherry, Pastries, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes, Fig, Grain, Plum, Yams, Strawberry
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Butiki Teas
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec 1 g 13 oz / 370 ml

From Our Community

1 Image

262 Want it Want it

  • +247

185 Own it Own it

  • +170

285 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Happy Thanksgiving (Gratitude Day) to everyone in the World!! I know Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but I hope everybody everywhere has things to be grateful for everyday. I think it’s...” Read full tasting note
    100
  • “Sometimes you just need an old favourite. This morning was one of those days. I had let the wonder of this tea become a mere shadow of its true deliciousness. I’m glad I dug this out...” Read full tasting note
    88
  • “Wowwwww, this is delicious! Definitely glad I ordered some (shoulda got my free ounce of this instead of Strawberry Oolong!) It reminds me quite a bit of Laoshan Black, in that it’s very malty and...” Read full tasting note
    100
  • “This week has been pretty busy for us. We just got back from vacation mid week which was really a work vacation and will start prepping for another office closure as we will probably be taking off...” Read full tasting note

From Butiki Teas

Our Premium Taiwanese Assam is sourced from Yuchih Township in Nantou County, Taiwan. Assam bushes were brought to Taiwan in the early twentieth century but have since been refined by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station. The long dark chocolate-colored leaves produce a sweet fruity aroma. This malty tea has rich chocolate notes with notes of cinnamon, clove, and raisins.

Ingredients: Taiwanese Black Tea

Recommended Brew Time: 3 minutes
Recommended Amount: 2 teaspoons of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 212 F (boiling)

For more information, please visit: http://www.butikiteas.com

About Butiki Teas View company

Company description not available.

285 Tasting Notes

95
1430 tasting notes

A backlog: this tea marks the first time I’ve ever tipped over a mug. I spilled it Everywhere! Blergh. in a cruel twist of fate, enough remained in the mug to take a few sips- enough to know the session was delicious. I can’t believe I did that to this amazing tea. That’s what happens when you try to drink tea and bolt out the house at the same time, Crow. Thus I ran on that tiny amount of tea for the rest of the day.

That first tragic steep tasted of chocolate and hot waffle cones- smooth, malty, and sweet. Second steep, of four minutes, happened hours later when I returned from an adventure around Waterfront and Stanley Park. This cup was an even smoother malt, with an amazing sugary undertone- just the thing to take my mind off of sore feet.

Five minute third steep suffered more abuse, and was consumed cold after taking my grandmother home. This cup was on the muted side, and reminded me of a watered down doughy cinnamon bun for some reason. I didn’t pay too much attention and just gulped it all down.

This tea is easy to drink and definitely makes the permanent list. A few of the Assam teas I’ve encountered have left astringent, dry first impressions; this one seems to be gentler. I didn’t pick up the trademark raisin notes today but I’ll pay more attention tomorrow.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Sil

Yay that you tried this! Boo on spillage!

Crowkettle

I don’t know why I waited so long to try this tea. I understand why everyone loves it. Also, I didn’t think it was possible for me to get more excited about trying the Caramel Vanilla Assam..

Sil

it’s delicious

OMGsrsly

Caramel Vanilla is SO good.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

96
141 tasting notes

These long charcoal-colored Taiwanese Assam leaves have a sweet raisin and creamy cinnamon flavor, that adds to the fuller malty texture & fruity, honeycrisp apple-like base. I found no astringency or bitterness during the first couple steepings and discovered the quality is high enough to deliver a delicious cup even after infusions 4-6.

When I asked each of my kids what they thought of the smell of the tea, not allowing them to actually see it but lifting the gaiwan slightly to allow the aroma to waft out, they sad – “Is that an oolong??” and “Very sweet smelling” I love to keep them guessing and not always depend on what they see when trying new teas. Poor children, they are already corrupted with the world of tea obsession.

As previously stated by Stacy at Butiki Teas, “In the 1920’s, under Japanese rule, Assamica tea bushes were brought to the Sun Moon Lake area of Taiwan. At the time, the Japanese wanted to compete with the British in the black tea market. Since then this Assam has been refined by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station.” I’d say they found a huge success! This would rank as one of my favorite black teas,and am now worried my recent purchase will not last nearly long enough!

If you have considered in the past whether or not to try this unique tea, let me urge you to move forward. I can think of no reason to delay any further. Splurge. Treat yourself. :)

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 45 sec
TheTeaFairy

Pureleaf, I agree with everything you said, this tea deserves a star on the TEA Walk of Fame!

Pureleaf

Good call TheTeaFairy. I second that motion! :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

2891 tasting notes

After a luscious, quiet, obligation-free weekend, I knew it was going to be a tough out-the-door this morning. So I deliberately laid out a “something different” that would dull the yuckies a little.

Wow, is this a something different! Lighter in color than you’d expect in an assam, a sweet mowed grain scent, and a flavor that I would’ve sworn was toasted marshmallow (I’m not that far off; I’m seeing “sweet potato” in some other reviews). As far as strength and kick, I think it’s more of a mid-late-morning-ish-elevensies potency, but that is not a commentary on its sweet excellence.

Thanks, terriharplady, for giving my sluggish brain and attitude a pleasant jumpstart this morning.

Auggy

That does sound delightfully different!

gmathis

Made my brain do a double-take. Was all primed for traditional Assam deep darkness, and whoa! Surprise!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

98
4170 tasting notes

oh crap I just copied and pasted an my entire review disappeared. Anyway, this is my 600th tasting note! I can’t believe it… I swear my 500th tasting note was just a couple weeks ago. It seems the more tea I drink, the more I love tea… but I probably said something similar with my 500th note.

I couldn’t wait to try this one as I have been reading so many amazing tasting notes for this one! thank you so much Butiki! Every tea I’ve tried from Butiki has been the best of the best (so every “th” tasting note should be celebrated with a Butiki tea!) The long, black, twisty leaves here have a bready aroma. After a four minute steep, the brew color is a gorgeous deep amber in my clear mug and the flavor is so so good. It seems medium bodied yet the flavor is complex. Bakey, bready, sweet, a bit malty & chocolatey. It’s tough to describe, but it has something very unique about it. A must try!

Also: I swear there was a bit of a strawberry flavor, but I was worried when I smelled the strawberry from the other Butiki tea sample that it was mailed with that it may have contaminated the other teas… even though I stored that one separate as soon as I got them. But maybe this one naturally has a hint of berry? I just noticed Butiki’s description says “fruity”! Or maybe I really should be drinking my samples in plastic baggies faster than others!

Bonnie

Congratulations on your 600th review!!!

tea-sipper

thanks, Bonnie!

TeaLady441

Grats! :O

Fuzzy_Peachkin

Congrats on drinking and posting about a whole LOTTA tea! :-)

Rie

Congratulations on 500!!

Rie

…*600!! And beyond.

tea-sipper

thank you all! :D

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

92
1184 tasting notes

Oh wow, why did I wait until now to order this? It is delicious. Malty, with chocolate notes, raisin notes. Soo good. I might “need” more of this on Black Friday, even though I already have quite a bit!

I really am enjoying all the straight blacks that I have ordered from Butiki. There are still more I need to try though, lol

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

90
676 tasting notes

Thank you Stacy for this Sample!

I’ve received my new tea’s from Butiki (dance, dance, dance)!

As always, Stacy lovingly places just the right little packets of samples in my order (and will in yours also).
It never fails to make me smile with excitement when I discover what she has tucked in my box as my free samples!

I have tasted the previous Butiki Assam, but this is a newer one…
a Premium Taiwanese Assam.

My experience with Assam’s has been average.
The one’s I’ve tasted have been of medium body, slightly smoky and a little malty. Good breakfast Assam’s that can hold up to milk in the morning and have mild astringency. Not overly complex tea’s.

What now?
Stacy is always hunting down the best tea’s she can find. Like a sly fox, she scours the tea markets improving the line-up of tea’s she carries, always looking for unique flavors and blends. This is one of the things I love about her and Butiki Tea!

Flavor

Well, this was not like any Assam I’d ever tasted before!
There was a yam, potato flavor right away though not a lot (if any) malt.
I didn’t pick up any smokiness and the astringency didn’t even arrive until the tea was quite cool.

Speaking of cool…
The spicy heat in this tea was followed by a characteristic that I associate with Taiwanese Tea’s…that menthol/minty cool feeling in the mouth.
This was such a great mouth-feel (if you’ve never experienced it before) but subtle.
I was looking for a raisin chocolate taste (which I found), and along the way got distracted by how soft the finish was.
Like a mist the tea evaporated at the end. All the flavors seemed to be up front with a spice-cool shift in the center and then poof, gone.

This was before I added anything to my tea!
You can’t imagine how sweet and nectar-like my tea was when I added
just a little sweetening. (Stacy would say “Add a little natural raw sugar crystals to bring out the flavor”)

Very tasty and delicious for breakfast or anytime!

Lovely Assam!

TeaEqualsBliss

Stacey! You Sly-Fox, you! :)
teehee

Butiki Teas

So glad you are enjoying this one. :) Its one of my favorite breakfast treats, though I do tend to add a lot of leave and let it sit until its nice and malty and very astringent.

LiberTEAS

A Taiwanese Assam? Oh my goodness, I’m intrigued!

Bonnie

Stacy, I’d try that if I had more on hand, but I would have missed the cool mint/menthol feel possibly for the tasting.

Butiki Teas

LiberTEAS-Here is what I wrote about Taiwanese Assams in my tasting note: As the name suggest, this is an Assam that comes from Taiwan. In the 1920’s, under Japanese rule, Assamica tea bushes were brought to the Sun Moon Lake area of Taiwan. At the time, the Japanese wanted to compete with the British in the black tea market. Since then this Assam has been refined by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station.

Bonnie-I’m terrible with my black teas, I so abuse them by intentionally over-steeping them. I just love that really astringent taste. Well, I do that to all except the Mi Xian which is really naturally sweet.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

90
110 tasting notes

1 tbsp in 12 oz

Forgot how much I liked this! It seems that Taiwanese black tea can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. I love every single one I’ve tried. I’ve decided that as a group, they are my favorite kind of tea. Subtle differences between them, but all just the perfect mouthfeel and sweetness level for me. YUM.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
TheTeaFairy

Totally second that, Taiwanese Black, especially Butikis are my all time favourites!

Chelle

Me too! Me too!

Terri HarpLady

I’m having this one in the morning for sure.

El Monstro

Yeppppppp great tea, still waiting for the wild mountain black tea to be back in stock so I can try it.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

95
523 tasting notes

OMG soooo much homework! Today was the third day of classes and I had to stay up so late last night for all the reading. I only have 12 credits (and 2 of them are my piano lessons) and I feel like the work load is heavier than when I was taking 21 credits the last few semesters of my english degree AND working part time. So what the big idea here?! Have I just forgotten how to manage?? Times like these I really miss when all my homework was just math. I am not such a fast reader. On top of that, most of the texts are in German and most of my classmates have more years of German study behind them than me. I am not used to being the one lagging behind.

So anyway, I brewed this tea trying to take a quick breather before I prepare dinner. I put some rock sugar (4 pieces) in this time and it came out so good. Or maybe its one of those times when any hot and comforting drink would seem good just because I am so stressed (that does happen. . and then I brew it again later and think “This isn’t the same thing!” lol)

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Fuzzy_Peachkin

Yikes! It sounded like you really needed a tea break! I’m sure things will balance out as the semester progresses. Take care!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

95
90 tasting notes

Oh man am I glad to have this back in my cupboard. After a long spell of tea blahs and a hectic tea-less weekend, this is really hitting the spot today. It’s got a little more fruity sweetness than I remember, which is perfect for summer weather. I love the fact that it has so much flavor without any additions. I need to make sure I don’t run out of this again!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

88
709 tasting notes

Oh my god, this tea is amazing. THIS is what I wanted every time I opened up a new Butiki tea. I wanted to love them as unwaveringly as so many on here do. So far, only the Ruby Pie has been a re-buy for me but this tea is fantastic. I always thought I didn’t like assam. Clearly I just had the wrong ones. This is caramel and cocoa and honey and rich but not bitter with a wonderful lingering smoothness that has a sweet edge like I’ve had some premium chocolate.

I tend to fall hard for Chinese blacks but this has a caramel sweet note that I may not have ever experienced in another tea. Especially in contrast with the disaster that was my previous tea of the day, this is phenomenal. I can only hope that future cups taste as good as this, because this is nectar of the gods right now. I don’t tend to rave about a tea, but this one deserves it. A+! This could usurp Black Dragon Pearls as my favourite black tea.

Now to keep slurping. And re-steeping. And slurping some more. Mmm!

Sil

YAY!!!!! I’m so glad you a)enjoy ruby pie and b) found out that you love this one too!

tea-sipper

I love this one but I think I like Butiki’s Hattali Lion Assam better! I think that one is the best tea I’ve ever had.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.