This tea is a very pretty example of FTGFOP black tea, or Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, because tea grading is rather long winded. This particular black tea (with its adorable golden tips) is from Assam, India. The aroma of the leaves is malty and quite sweet, like dried cherries and prunes, with a hint of fresh apricots and a finish of oak wood. Brewing the tea will get you a nice burst of a bright, brisk, and malty aroma. The wet leaves still retain their notes of fruit, but it is not as strong, the wet leaves have more of a wake you up aroma now.
The liquid without its leafy friends is brisk with notes of dried fruit, malt, and oak wood. It smells very rich, perfect for when I have just woken up and need a brisk awakening. The taste is brisk and quite malty with notes of oak wood and a sweet finish of dried fruit. The package said it was good as a straight tea or with milk and sugar, so I decided to honor my British relatives and have myself some milky tea. Adding the milk and sugar makes the briskness vanish and the richness of the malt take center stage, it is delicious with how rich and fruity it is now. I say if you want a black tea that wakes you up, go straight…if you want a black tea that soothes you, go with the milk and sugar.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/09/simple-loose-leaf-september.html
Flavors: Fruity, Malt
