CTC Assam

I am annoyed at myself. I had nasal spray (for my allergies) before I brewed up this sample and that is definitely affecting my sense of taste. I don’t feel like I can rate this properly.

I am nervous about Assams, I’ve had a few that have turned bitter if steeped too long. I steeped this one for 2 minutes in near boiling water. I admire the dark burgundy color of this tea. There does not seem to be a lot of malt here but one of the reviewers also commented on that so perhaps I am not merely dreaming.

I need another sample, drat!

My first Assam, and I have to say that I really do enjoy this. I love the color, it is almost as dark as coffee. The taste is nice and bold, without any bitterness.

This tea just seems like a wonderful blank canvas. It is a very simple morning black tea, works great with milk and I would think sugar as well, even though I don’t use it anymore. I think this would be a great tea for coffee drinkers in the morning, who want to start trying tea.

It is also a pretty practical tea in price as well in the fact that I can enjoy it casually without doing that pause, smell, taste, and staring off appreciating the complexity. You all know what I am talking about. This tea won’t make me look crazy at work. I really like its simplicity, after all of the other teas I have tried with their complexity, this is actually a bit refreshing.

I followed a cup of H&S Irish Breakfast with this CTC Assam as a comparison to see which I liked better. They are very different creatures; the Irish Breakfast is gentle where this is a strong black tea. I like them both, but having been in search of a basic, strong, perfect black tea this one comes out ahead.

It’s strong black tea. It’s not bitter, it’s not flavored, not overly complex. I love black tea and I love strong tea that can play well with milk and sugar. This is it! I’ll be ordering a tin once I run out of the sample, for all those times I simply want a cup of delicious, tasty, strong black tea.

I drank this with 4 cubes of raw sugar, 7 drops of stevia, and a large dash of evaporated milk. Heaven! It’s strong enough to stand alongside Chai as a “food” tea: a tea rich and full enough to feel like food rather than a beverage.

Very good basic Assam tea. Bold and strong with no bitterness. It is simple and taste great hot or iced. I would describe this as the basic black coffee of tea. It is a great everyday morning tea to get you going or an afternoon tea when you need a pick me up.

A decent cup on a student budget. Brews robust and stout, takes cream and sugar exceedingly well. Nice wake-me-up tea. Doesn’t have a whole lot of complexity but for the price you can’t beat it. Nice black tea to cook with as well as its strong enough that it won’t get overwhelmed by other flavors. I always have a tin around.

Have been drinking this as my morning tea rather than my usual Red Rose lately.

This is a nice simple, strong, uncomplicated tea that gives me enough of a pick up to be a daily morning drink. If you are looking for subtle flavors or nuances, it’d be best to search elsewhere. However, if you want something that you can stand a spoon up in that can knock your socks off without being bitter, this is the tea you are looking for.

Be prepared for a little bit of a tea mess, unless you have a really fine strainer. The CTC leaves some tea dust that makes it’s way through my tea balls and strainers and onto the counter or into my mug. It’s not an issue for me but it’s something you should be aware of.

All in all, this serves as a great inexpensive daily drink for my son and I.

This is my go to Assam for studying as it packs a caffeine punch. The smell is smooth and the taste is creamy with a silky feel in the mouth. I don’t like to add anything to my teas but this is the one tea I can drink with milk and german rock sugar if the mood takes me.

Have done a little CTC tasting lately. Have had the Harney for a while, but then today also tasted three different Upton CTC Assams. Have a TeaGschwendner still to try at some point.

The Harney CTC was OK – what I call a “strong black tea” flavor. No malt, no interesting nuances, just “strong black tea”. It is also not bitter. I usually blended it with some other Harney tea such as Tower of London. If you want malt in your assam, this one isn’t it. But if you are looking for a simple strong black tea without bitterness, this might work for you.

(Between the Harney and three Upton CTC teas, my favorite is the Upton Irish Breakfast CTC.)

Summer travel and general craziness had me fall of
My tea game
So hard. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I am ready to jump back in. This is almost like the tea that comes in tea bags. It’s a good everyday basic. I liked it. No complaints. It does seem stronger or
Like it just has that kick go it. I probably would not repurchase- but its solid.