This is one of those introductions to today’s tea that is a little lame, I had a mostly uneventful day today and sadly I have not really had any inspiring thoughts. I did some laundry, had some tea, walked to the drug store, watched some lectures, and did a bit of writing. Also Tao did something clever, she learned that meowing in front of the closed window and trying to pull open the window with her paw was a clear way to get me to open the window. That was my day!
Today’s tea is Assam Gold from The Persimmon Tree Tea Company, a lovely black tea from Assam, India, with a sprinkling of curly, fuzzy, golden tipped leaves. You all know me, you know that if my tea has fuzzy, golden leaves I am immediately happy, I am not too hard to please. The aroma is rich and malty with sweet notes of dried cherries. This fades to a blend of cocoa and tobacco with a touch of cedar at the finish.
After what seems like an eternity of steeping (one of the side-effects of doing a bunch of gongfu brewing, all those short steeps!) the aroma if the wet leaves is brisk and sweet, almost surprisingly sweet! There are strong notes of cherries and malt with a faint finish of molasses. The liquid is richly sweet with a tiny bit of tartness, like a more tart cherry. Accompanying this are notes of malt and molasses.
Well, this is certainly not a mild or unassuming tea! The initial taste is quite bold and bit brisk, with notes of cherries, cocoa, and a touch of oak which adds a bit of astringency. This fades to a rich malt that lingers as an aftertaste. Feeling whimsical I added a bit of cream and sugar, this takes away the briskness and that touch of astringency and leaves a rich and very malty cup. The notes of fruit and cocoa are not as strong, there is more of an earthiness as well. I found this tea quite good both creamed and sweetened and straight, it is a great breakfast tea.
For blog and photo: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-persimmon-tree-tea-company-assam.html
Flavors: Absinthe, Cherry, Cocoa, Malt, Oak
