Captain Assam’s High Seas Elixer from Damn Fine Tea

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Damn Fine Tea

Product Description:

The Captain is a hearty Assam tea from India. For an invigorating brew, steep these leaves for 4 minutes in boiling water. Try 3 if you are of a gentler nature and seek only warm comfort. Beware the urge to brew this tea in salt water.

Taster’s Review:

I’ve been wanting to order series 5 from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Teas for quite some time now, and have been praying to the tea gods that the series not sell out before I had a chance to do so.  Fortunately, the tea gods smiled upon me and I finally was able to order it.

Yay!  And this is a Damn Fine Assam.  As far as Assam teas go, this is a rather mild one.  It isn’t as hefty as some Assam teas I’ve tried, but in the place of that bold strength is a delicious sweetness that is somewhere between a burnt-sugar caramel taste and a honey-esque note.  Of all the Assam teas that I’ve tasted to date, I don’t think one has come close to this level of sweetness.

It possesses such a lovely balance.  It is certainly strong and invigorating, but, it isn’t as harsh nor as astringent as an Assam can be.   There is some astringency, of course, but, it is offset by the aforementioned sweetness.  It is incredibly smooth and full-flavored.  The malty tones here unite with the sweeter flavors to give this almost an “ale” kind of taste.

I LOVE Andrews & Dunham’s Damn Fine Teas – and my love isn’t just about the tea.  Their tea is wonderful, of course, but, there is more to this company.  They ship incredibly fast, and everything about the packaging is delightful.  The boxes are beautifully designed – and the tins are GORGEOUS!  And there is always a little something extra that comes with each series.  For series three, I got a patch.  This time, for series 5, I got a sheet of temporary tattoos.

Tea should be fun!  I probably will never use the tattoos, but, these little thoughtful touches add an element of playfulness and excitement to tea.  It takes the “proper” out of tea time and replaces it with FUN!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea

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