This is easily one of my favorite black teas of all time. Everything about it is the pinnacle of what I think a black tea should be. From the aroma to the taste to the aftertaste to the feel to the color. It’s all beautiful.
Following Red Blossom’s brewing recommendations, I used 3 tablespoons of leaves in my 32 ounce Bodum Assam teapot. After rinsing, I added water that had just barely reached boil, about 200 degrees, and let it steep for 2 minutes.
Right off the bat, as I let the boiling water tumble over the wet leaves, the smell filling the room fills the senses with just what a good morning should be. Calm, smooth, slightly sweet, hints of butter and sweet potato. Happiness in an almost zen sense.
Then I pour the first cup and again my senses are overjoyed with the smell of this fine liqueur. Taking in more from up close, my nose just over the edge of the mug, the sweet, calm, sweet potato smell is about as soothing as I can ask for. A nearly perfect Winter’s morning aroma.
Then there is the taste. What can I say about the taste? It pretty much follows the aroma. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing unexpected or lacking. Just the right amount of bitterness to accentuate the sweet potato smell, but not so much as to become overwhelming.
For a tea snob like myself, this is what I think of when I want a black tea. Sweet, not too bitter, but with some bitterness in there. I like a big and bold, in your face tea that is still well balanced and drinkable. I like to taste the intricacies of the tea, not chew on tannins. They need to all work together, the intricate tastes and feels, and the tannin bitterness, to create the perfect tea. Here is a great example of just that.
I like.
-E
Flavors: Sweet, Sweet Potatoes
