Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
Freshly picked 8 June 2011.
“Chai” is a word meaning “tea” in many parts of the world. In addition, these CTC black tea leaves are called “chai” because they make a popular base to which to add those luscious spices that turn the tea into the deliciously spicy beverage we call “Chai”. These CTC leaves of second-flush assam can certainly steep into a thoroughly enjoyable cuppa all on their own … well, okay, maybe add some sweetener and milk or cream (yes! this tea will stand up to cream!).
Taster’s Review:
If you’re like me, when you first saw the name of this tea, you thought this would be a spiced tea blend. It is not. Here, “chai” is used as it was originally intended: to mean “tea” and not “spiced tea.”
By now, I’ve tasted several of the Estate teas offered by KTeas, and I’ve been impressed with every single one of them that I’ve tried. And this brilliant cup of CTC-BOP Assam from the Glenburn Estates is no exception.
One thing that impresses me about these Estate teas from KTeas is that it says – right on the package! – the date this tea was harvested. So I know the tea that I’m drinking is very fresh. And one sip tells me that the tea I’m drinking is very delicious!
This Assam is bold and full-flavored. It has a very bright flavor with a prominent malty flavor. It has a very strong character: this tea can get you GOING in the morning; even on those mornings when you’re feeling sluggish and really need a boost. This tea will give you that boost you need.
This tea has a sweetness to it that is quite like burnt sugar caramel. The sweetness is enhanced by the aforementioned malty tones, and these two qualities linger long into the aftertaste. There is a fair amount of astringency here, but I don’t mind it. If you want to curb it a bit, add a splash of milk to the cup – this tea takes it quite well.
Because this is a CTC-BOP, the leaves are granular – about the size of a grain of couscous! – and you’ll want to take this into account when you steep the tea. Use a little less tea when you measure the tea and do not infuse quite as long as you might steep a whole leaf tea; otherwise you may end up with a somewhat bitter brew. With this tea, it is definitely worth the extra thought and effort to steep it correctly, because the reward is a delicious cup of Assam.
Iced Tea Series II (Tropical Fruit Series) from 52Teas, Part 1: Kiwi Flavored Black Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
About This Iced Tea Series:
After the success of our first Iced tea series, we’re going for round two. This time, all of the teas are tropical fruit flavors! We’ve also increased the amount of tea in each package to make sure you get a good solid gallon of iced tea out of each pack.
Here are FIVE unique iced tea blends we’ve created from high quality Nilgiri CTC teas. These are uber fine teas, so they are not as pretty as our whole leaf teas, but they steep up a bold, rich, flavorful iced tea. We’ve packaged them in approximately 1.2oz. pouches, which is just enough for one gallon of iced tea (more if you re-steep) so you can just rip them open, dump them out and steep. No measuring required!
Taster’s Review:
I really enjoyed the last iced tea series from 52Teas so I was confident that I’d enjoy this set of five teas as well. This series even has a theme: tropical fruit.
The first thing that you’ll notice about these tea is that it looks different from a typical loose leaf tea. This is a very fine cut black tea … almost resembling tiny granules. And if you’ve had teas from 52Teas in the past, you’ll also notice that this tea looks different from other 52Teas blends in another way – it doesn’t have big chunks of fruit or other additives in the blend.
But that doesn’t mean that these teas skimp on flavor. The flavor is very well-defined in this tea. The kiwi notes are so juicy and delicious. When describing the flavor of kiwi, people often compare it to a banana, a strawberry and/or a pineapple, because the kiwi fruit possesses notes that are similar to each of these. I can especially taste the banana notes here – in fact, when I first opened the package I could smell banana and I had to double check the label to see if I hadn’t accidentally opened a package of banana tea by mistake.
The black tea base is delicious. It is brisk and there are hints of malt. It is astringent, but not overly so. Brewed properly, there is no bitterness to this tea, just a beautiful, lightly sweet, crisp taste that highlights the flavor of the kiwi fruit very well.
This has been a very hot summer so far – but the heat becomes bearable when I have a glass of delicious iced tea.