Ambangulu - Tanzania

Another share from Sil! This tea I found a little too harsh, but I should have been a bit more careful with the volume and infusion time, as it appears to be a CTC. Reading some reviews, I see that my expectations should be in line with a higher quality version of Red Rose, so I’ll go into the last couple cups of it with that expectation, and a lighter hand. It certainly wasn’t terrible, but was a bit too strong/astringent to drink straight.

Sipdown (124)

Thank you Sil for the share. I am currently sipping on this tea as I try to reorganize my cupboard. Since I am on reading week and I got my cupboard to a much more manageable number, I figured it was time to go through and figure out what’s up. Alas, my scale is broken and only shows half the numbers so the weights are ball parked. Oh well, at least it shows what I should be trying to work on and what I have more manageable amounts of so I guess in that sense it is still helpful.

Anyways, as for the tea, it’s bright and reminiscent of the Red Rose tea I used to have when I was younger, though better quality. However, I was never a huge fan of Red Rose so though I can appreciate this, I think I am more than happy with my sample. Also, near the end of the sip, the citrus notes I am getting to create the brightness turn a slight bit bitter/alkaline.

Thanks Sil for including a sample of this in your most generous box.
MMmmmm Tanzania – I would LOVE to go to Kenya and Tanzania, that’s number one on my wish list – safari in Africa…. sigh – oh well will buying those lottery tickets…

This tea is not at all what I was expecting. It’s really rich (as in thick with a nice mouthfeel) but tastes on the lighter side. It’s a little fruity, maybe a hint on the woody side, but there is some malt. I might have been a little aggressive with the leaf so I cut back on steep time and there was no astringency at all. This is a pretty decent black tea, and not at all what I would expect from an African black. Really happy to have tried this Sil

Sil was nice enough to share some of this with me. It’s a pretty nice CTC. A bit of maltiness in a fairly moderate strength tea. Steeps quickly of course. On the wishlist it goes to remind me to get some at some point. :)

mmm i keep forgetting to write notes on this tea. I’ve had it a few times now and figured since i’ve shared a little of this with a few people, i should get to writing a note on this one. this is an interesting tea. it reminds me of “red rose” from my chilhood but a better quality lol. this is more of a milk and sugar sort of tea for me with a rich thickness to it, a slight bit of malt and a brightness here that i could see turning bitter if over steeped.