Country of Origin: India
Leaf Appearance: dark, twisted with lots of golden tips
Ingredients: black tea
Steep time: 4 minutes
Water Temperature: 205 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: deep reddish brown
There’s nothing quite like an Assam, especially first thing in the morning. I can see why this one was called Assam Gold because the leaves had a ton of golden tips. It’s debatable whether or not that affects the taste at all but I’m a sucker for pretty leaves. Aromatic, brisk and malty are all words that I would use to describe this tea. It was earthy and nutty with just a hint of floral sweetness. The mouth-feel was thick and it had a sharp but pleasant astringency. Oversteeping a tea like this could make it very bitter so I would not recommend steeping it for any longer than 4 minutes, maybe 5 if you like your teas on the strong side. This tea definitely has enough body to stand up to milk and sugar if you needed to but it is very enjoyable all on its own. My inner tea nerd really wants to know which estate these leaves came from. Maybe one day Assam will gain enough industry clout for that to be required info, just as it seems to now be for Darjeeling. +The Persimmon Tree‘s teas are generally very fairly priced for the level of quality and this one was no different.
You can find out more about this tea here.