Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
Originating from India, Masala Chai or ‘Spiced Tea’ is one of the most popular black tea blends in the world. This ancient traditional recipe is prepared by blending a strong & robust black tea with an array of fresh & aromatic spices. Our signature ‘Masala Chai Spiced Tea’ is symbolic of the original house blend which has been cherished in India for decades now. A combination of Assam CTC & orthodox leaves blended in a varying ratio is taken as the base. The base tea is then blended with exotic and fresh indian spices including crushed cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, long pepper, dry ginger and clove.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m always so excited to try a new chai – one that I’ve not yet tried. So, I was happy to find this India’s Original Masala Chai from Golden Tips in my stash of teas waiting for review!
The dry leaf is a very fine CTC. Even the spices are pretty finely chopped or ground, so it would benefit your teacup to give the pouch a good shake before you open it and measure it out.
To brew it, I measured out one bamboo scoop of the tea and then I shook off just a little bit from the scoop. Since the chop is so fine, you don’t need a whole scoop of tea! Then I put the tea into the basket of my Kati tumbler and added 12 ounces of boiling water and let it steep for 2 1/2 minutes. Again, since this is a finely chopped tea, you don’t want to steep it too long. 2 1/2 minutes produced a very flavorful cuppa for me – I wouldn’t recommend steeping it much longer than that otherwise you may wind up with a bitter tasting tea.
This is really good! The spices are ‘moderately spiced’ – that is to say that it’s not super spicy, but not what I’d call mild either. I think that if you typically shy away from a chai because it’s too spicy for you, you might find that this chai is to your liking. It’s warmly spiced without going overboard.
And I like that the spices are really nicely balanced. I taste cinnamon, clove, cardamom, ginger and pepper, but I don’t notice that any one or two of these trying to overpower the rest. It’s warm and zesty, like a delicious spice cake. All the spices are present and accounted for but they don’t overwhelm the cup or the flavor of the black tea.
And the black tea is the star of this cup. That doesn’t happen too often in a chai. Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good, spicy chai! But I also like other ‘chai’ blends that offer a balance of flavors like this one has achieved.
This tea offers a robust, full-flavored taste of black tea. The tea is an Assam tea so I get a strong malty character that I like. It’s rich and smooth. Not too astringent and not bitter (although I suspect it could be bitter if I had oversteeped it!)
And this tea offers a pleasant flavor of spices that tingle on the palate. The flavor of the spices builds, but it builds in a really pleasant way. I haven’t felt like “oh, that’s spicy!” Instead, it’s more like … nice! Warm! Zesty! Yum!
A really nice chai!
Mankota Exotic Assam Second Flush Black Tea from Golden Tips
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
Mankota produces some excellent second flush black teas every year. This tea in particular boasts of all characters of a premium Assam tea. The tea is robust, bold and extremely malty. The full-body of the tea finishes on a slightly sweet note which makes it an absolute prized possession. Sprinkled with golden tips all over, the dark red liquor shimmers in the cup.A fantastic breakfast tea and a must-try if you love Assam tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After taking my first few sips of this Mankota Exotic Assam Second Flush Black Tea from Golden Tips, I found myself in complete agreement with the last sentence of the above description. This is definitely a fantastic ‘breakfast tea’ – it tastes great straight up, but it would take the additions of milk and honey very well too. And I would put this on the ‘must try’ list of anyone who enjoys a good Assam.
I brewed this tea in my Kati tumbler, adding 1 bamboo scoop of tea to the basket and pouring 12 ounces of nearly boiling water (205°F) and steeped the tea for 2 1/2 minutes. The reason I lowered the temperature slightly is because Assam teas tend to be somewhat temperamental and can become bitter. A little lower temperature and a little less time in the steep can do much to help avoid a bitter cup! It’s a little extra effort that’s well worth the investment because the payoff is a wonderful, malty cup of Assam!
This tea is indeed delightful! It’s rich, malty and has a satisfying, thick texture. It has notes of freshly baked bread, evoking thoughts of a warm loaf of French bread with a crisp, chewy crust. The caramelized sweetness of the crust of that loaf of bread comes through in the undertones of this tea.
Fruit notes! I didn’t pick up on them right away but by mid-cup, I started noticing notes of raisin and wine-like grape. Sweet. Notes of plum and even a hint of citrus in there too. I’m not sure how I missed these flavors at the start because they’re so abundant now, I can only think that I was so enchanted by the warm, freshly baked bread notes that my palate was ignoring all else! But now, I am enjoying the way the sweet, malty notes marry with the fruit tones. Quite lovely, indeed.
It’s an invigorating tea – it’s got gusto! It’s a bold cup of tea, but it’s not an overly aggressive cup. It isn’t bitter and it doesn’t have a lot of astringency to it either. It’s actually quite smooth. There is some astringency toward the finish, a slightly tangy effect. The aftertaste is sweet.
A truly rewarding tea. I highly recommend this those who love a good Assam!
Organic Jungpana Premium Autumn Flush Darjeeling Black Tea from Golden Tips
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
A first-rate Autumnal from the paradisiacal tea plantations of Jungpana. Amber liquoring with a riveting aroma, this is sure to become your favorite morning cuppa. Fittingly robust and bodied, the tea brings in whiffs & undertones of muscatel complimented by distinctive maltiness unique to Darjeeling black teas through the pre-winter harvests. Taste buds capitulate to the bold slightly-earthy character of the tea as it flushes your mouth with its dominant character. A slight palatableness engulfs as you roll the liquor. Floral and dark chocolaty notes are sustained during the entire experience. An excellent tea and among our best-sellers every season.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried quite a few Darjeeling teas from Golden Tips so far and I’ve been impressed with what I’ve tried. This Organic Jungpana Premium Autumn Flush follows in fashion. This is a wonderful Darjeeling!
I brewed this tea in my Breville tea maker, adding 2 bamboo scoops of tea to the basket and pouring 500ml of water to the pitcher. Then I set the temperature for 195°F and the timer for 2 1/2 minutes. It’s been my experience that Darjeeling teas do better with a slightly lower temperature.
And the result is a cupful of deliciousness! This is a delightfully complex Darjeeling. It’s crisp. The body of this tea falls somewhere between light and medium. There is some astringency to this, but not a lot. Just a slightly dry sensation toward the tail. No bitterness – just wonderful flavor that keeps me sipping.
The sip starts out with a sweet note that’s slightly grape-y. This tea has a distinct wine-like flavor (muscatel!) and there are some notes of flower. By mid-sip, the grape notes become more defined. I taste subtle woodsy tones and hints of earth. As the sip goes into the finish, there is a slightly dry, sweet note. The aftertaste is sweet with just a hint of tartness that reminds me of currant.
A fantastic Darjeeling. This is the kind of tea that I’d recommend to any tea drinker, especially to those who are new to Darjeeling. This tea would be a great way to start one’s journey into the wonderful world of Darjeeling tea!
Organic Avaata Supreme Nilgiri First Flush Green Tea from Golden Tips
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
An exquisite green tea from the coveted organic Avaata Tea Estate in the Nilgiris in southern India. The perfectly manufactured leaves boast of a light green texture combined with opulent long silver tips. The liquor has a very pale green appearance in the cup. The flavour is extremely smooth and fairly sharp typical of non-fermented green teas but without any hint of bitterness. A sensation of fruits and flowers flush your mouth with every sip of this certified organic green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’m sitting here sipping this tea, I find myself mesmerized by how good it is. I then decided to do a search to see if I’ve ever tried a Nilgiri Green tea. And as it turns out, I’ve tried two green Nilgiri teas, one of which was more of a smoky tea (reminiscent of a Chinese gunpowder) and one was the base for a Chai. Neither were like this tea.
The dry leaf looks very much like a white tea, except that these are greener in color than most white teas I’ve encountered. The dry leaf also has a stronger ‘green’/vegetal scent than most white teas I’ve encountered. But the shape of the leaves – the appearance of the leaves – reminds me of a very high quality Bai Mu Dan.
So as you can imagine, it was a little more difficult to measure these leaves into the basket of my Kati tumbler. Rather than attempt to measure the leaves using my bamboo scoop, I eyeballed a measurement in the palm of my hand. Then I added 12 ounces of water heated to 175°F and let it steep for 2 minutes.
Delightful! This is a wonderful green tea! It has a delicate quality to it that reminds me of the aforementioned Bai Mu Dan, but it isn’t quite that delicate. The flavor is a lot less vegetal than I would have expected after the aroma I experienced with the dry leaf. In fact, those that tend to shy away from green teas because of that strong vegetal tone would probably find this green to be very much to their liking.
It’s light and crisp and very refreshing. Sweet with almost a sugar-like flavor. The texture is light yet creamy. It has a nice softness to it. There is no bitterness, but there is some astringency to this that is experienced primarily in the aftertaste, I can feel a dry, puckery sensation on the inside of my cheeks at the very end of the sip and into the aftertaste.
This is very CREAMY tasting. I like that while it has that creamy taste and texture, it isn’t a super heavy texture and the astringency seems to cleanse the palate somewhat so that my palate doesn’t feel overwhelmed by the creaminess.
Truly, a delightful green tea. This is one that should be on every tea drinker’s list to try because it’s so different from the green teas you’re probably familiar with. It’s so lovely!
Arya Ruby Darjeeling Black Tea from Golden Tips
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
Our second flush ‘Arya Ruby Black Tea’ is a classic example of Darjeeling summer royalty. The well-made leaves are wiry and have a delightful appearance with plenty of silver tips. Manufactured to perfection, the tea boasts of an immensely complex character with abundance of muscatel flavor. The fruit-flowery notes flush your mouth with a sweetness that is pleasant and comforting. The aroma scents of rich caramel with a slightly woody character. The nose is sharp and slightly fruity which resonates muscatel richness. Overall, the tea has a fantastic texture, a balanced and rounded body with an extremely smooth flavor that leaves a sweet lingering aftertaste in your mouth. An excellent limited edition Darjeeling second flush black tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Having tried Arya Ruby Darjeeling teas in the past, I was pretty confident that I’d enjoy this. It’s one of my favorite Darjeeling teas out there.
And this is indeed lovely! Sweet, delectably fruity and delightfully floral!
To brew this tea, I used my Breville One-Touch. I measured 2 bamboo scoops of tea into the basket of my tea maker and added 500ml of freshly filtered water. I set the temperature for 195°F (my go-to temperature for Darjeeling teas unless they look really green, then I might lower it to 190°F or even 185°F.) I set the timer for 2 1/2 minutes and I let my tea maker do the rest.
A few minutes later, the tea is done! Mmm!
The sip starts out with some what I’d describe as a medley of floral and fruit notes. By mid-sip, hints of fruity muscatel shine through. Subtle yet lovely notes of grape! A mild astringency toward the finish.
I’d categorize this as a medium bodied tea, it’s got a little more texture to it than a typical Darjeeling, but it certainly isn’t as hearty as say, an Assam tea. It would make an excellent afternoon tea!
A really lovely Darjeeling. I’d recommend this to any tea drinker, and especially those who might not have liked Darjeeling in the past. I believe this Darjeeling could change their opinion of Darjeeling!