Just Awesome Assam

Backlog:

This is a really good Assam. I love it. It’s not only a very flavorful, rich Assam, but I love that it’s organic and that it’s fair trade. Bonus points!

Bold, malty, full-flavored. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/17/just-awesome-assam-black-tea-from-just-organic-tea/

I usually drink greens or oolongs so when I tasted this tea my first thought was that I somehow had contaminated my tea mug with coffee.

It is slightly sweet, and I guess what you would call malty. I haven’t had many teas like this, probably because it’s not something I think I would gravitate to. I can see a person that is trying to switch from coffee to tea really enjoying this, but to me personally it tasted like I was trying to drink hot water out of a cup that had been dedicated to coffee for too long.

Happy Saturday everyone! I am still pretty under the weather, but luckily I feel better rested and less freezing cold than I did yesterday, it is the little victories when the Lupus flairs happen. Today’s plans involve origami (I am in the middle of a Bascetta Star) reading (currently reading a book on fermenting your own veggies) and Minecraft (because it is always a part of my day) all nice relaxing activities perfectly augmented by tea.

Today’s tea is Just Awesome Assam from Just Organic Tea, an (as it says on the tin) Assam black tea from Banaspaty Estate in India. Back in the day when I was making the switch to loose leaf tea all the time I discovered a real love for Assam, it is not a favorite, but I still have a great deal of fondness for it. The aroma of the tea is malty and bright with a bit of a roasted peanut finish. It is a fairly mild Assam, but it is a nice aroma, even if I wish it was a bit stronger.

Brewing the leaves brings out that rich malty notes I was craving from the dry leaves. It is very brisk with a slight woody oak quality. The liquid without its leafy friends is malty with notes of sweet potato and a bright yet earthy finish.

My cup of tea is brisk, malty, and nicely bright. Just the perfect pick-me-up for people, like me, who really need a boost in the morning. The more I sip the more I notice that it has depth, more so than I initially believed. At first I thought…not a bad Assam, nothing outstanding, but quite passable. As I sipped more I noticed earthy tones at the finish and sweet potato in the middle. I added some cream and sugar for a real traditional breakfast tea and found that the additions complimented the tea nicely.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/just-organic-tea-just-awesome-assam-tea.html

Sipdown! (207)
This is another sample that I was so lucky to try out and review. It’s a nice assam, with just the right amount of malt, and the hint of juiciness underneath. I think that if the price were right it’d be a good one to stock up around drink for every day use!

ETA: This tastes even BETTER once it’s cooled a little. Bumping my rating up in appreciation!

Another sample from the generous bunch Just Organic Teas sent me to review. Thanks!

Nice malty Assam for my morning. I definitely liked the flavor on this one, but not something I just have to have in my collection.

Tea of the morning. This is a nice Assam! Plenty of malt and a thick biscuity note. I like it a lot. If this is the Assam JOT uses when blending their Irish Breakfast then I might have to give that tea a try as well. This tea was perfect as a wake up tea. I’m thinking it’d be good iced as well.

Well this was my first experience with an Assam. It smelled absolutely delicious but I was just not a fan of the flavor. A bit too bitter for my taste.

This is a sample from the sample pack that Just Organic sent out. Thank you!

I have been slowly working on sampling a few teas from each region/style. Assam is another type of tea that I have actually had very few of. At least straight assams. Most that I have had, have been flavored. This was a nice cup. I got the malty, and the choco and the characteristics I would, in my head, associate with an assam.

I don’t typically love assams (this is a recent discovery) as they tend to be a bit too bold for me, the “almost bitter but not” taste just doesn’t usually jive. I did like this one – I steeped it for less time than I would normally steep a black tea and it worked out really well. No milk needed, which is often what I turn to when a black is too bold for me. Anyone who enjoys bold teas will definitely enjoy this.

thanks again for the samples, Just Organic Tea! I’m especially up for trying a new assam. JOT’s instructions are 195 degrees. To be honest, their sample sizes look smaller than the teaspoon that I would usually use, so I thought of using less water as I was pouring too much water. :D The cup was delicious anyway! Not too light, not too strong… Even before I took a sip, I could tell this would be one of those assams that are pure tomato soup taste. Even from the fragrance! I finished off a tea recently that tasted this way: Steven Smith’s No. 49 Assam, even though the first cup I tried didn’t taste like tomato soup at all (though that had been six months before the second time I tried it.) I’m thinking my taste buds changed in those six months. Though I’d prefer to have my assam have notes that aren’t tomato soup, this is actually a very enjoyable cup (if there is one thing I can’t stand – it’s tomatoes, but tomato soup is much better.) This cup is rich but not too rich, it’s still very sweet, no astringency at all. I would swear it’s tomato soup made with milk. It almost has that consistency. It’s on the verge of being almost minerally like a volcanic oolong and it tastes a bit like iron. I never brew a cup with less than a heaping teaspoon of leaves, and I don’t usually steep black teas at 195 degrees. But this cup is so perfect, maybe I’ve been going about brewing my black teas all wrong. The second steep is nice too, just a little less tomato soupy. I could crave this once in a while.
Steep #1 // 10 minutes after boiling // 4 min steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 4 min (just half a mug of water)