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No. 49

No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 Black Tea from Steven Smith Teamaker

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Steven Smith Teamaker

Tea Description:

The legendary breakfast tea from the upper Assam valley of India. Full-flavored, rich and chewy with notes of caramel and malt, this tea is bright and coppery in the cup and makes a great wake-up any time of day.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I’ve consumed many excellent cups of Assam tea over the years, but I can think of none that I have enjoyed more than this one.  And that, in no way, is intended to take away from any of the delicious Assam teas that I have tried.  Those that I’ve reviewed positively have been just as good as I described, and I enjoyed each of those immensely.  But, I do believe that this one is my favorite.  This one… is the KING of Assam tea.

It has many of the characteristics that one would expect from an Assam – it is rich, full-bodied and deliciously flavorful.  It has a very strong malty tone to it, and a complementing caramel undertone.  Sweet, but not too sweet.

This is a remarkably bright Assam – it doesn’t taste muddled or heavy or thick the way some Assam teas can taste.  While it is a very full-flavored tea, it maintains a certain purity to it; a cleaner, more vibrant taste that doesn’t inundate the palate with that heavy sensation of “clutter” that can sometimes accompany an Assam tea.  Even with a chewy, sweet, caramel-y malty Assam like this, my palate doesn’t feel overpowered by these heavy flavors.  It finishes clean with a moderate astringency.  The aftertaste is sweet with hints of fruit.

For the purposes of this review, I consumed the cup without additions, and it is delicious this way.  It is also marvelous with a splash of milk or cream, which enhances the malty and caramel-y notes and gives it a very decadent, cozy creaminess.

Truly a remarkable Assam.

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