Assam Calcutta Auction

I was originally planning to just sell/trade this tea unopened as I am not much on assams and even less on plain assams. However, this evening I really wanted to have hot cocoa with tea steeped in it and I realized that I didn’t have anything really suitable. So I popped this open… I am thinking I might keep it around for when I need a really robust tea (to have with milk and sugar), for steeping in hot chocolate, and perhaps for cold brewing occasionally.

For the record I tasted this a little bit under the chocolate, and it was assamy. Haha.

My 12th tea from The Book of Tea… I gotta finish the whole Book ASAP because Lupicia will be launching their second book of the series (The Book of Tea for Ladies) in March! :P

I like this tea, even though it does not taste too special. It’s strong (which was why I kept the steep time short), malty and has a sweeter-than-expected aftertaste. I can imagine how nice it is when served with milk – just as everyone suggests – but I think the tea itself is delicious enough!

I think this is the perfect tea to make homemade chai! I love Assams! This one is a pretty basic one. I usually don’t steep them for a long time unless I want it strong. I added milk and sugar to this. Great tea overall. Pretty basic. :)

I was hoping for more with this tea. It smelled promising, but it didn’t stand out for me.

This is a strong, fairly bitter tea straight. It definitely needs milk and sugar.

But even with milk, this tea still isn’t the best in my book. I like Assam mixed/blended with other black teas rather than alone. It’s not a very complex tea.

To me, it’s nothing special. There’s no unique, distinctive flavor that stands out. It’s just all right. I don’t see myself craving this one.

If you like strong black teas with milk, I recommend Lupicia’s The au Lait instead.

Another one from my Lupicia tea latte sampler. Solid choice.

This is a bad tasting note in the technical sense—more like a review. But I’m not terribly good at tasting notes anyway, SO! Short and sweet:

This is a decent cup of tea. I’ve been drinking gallons this past week, sometimes oversteeping (SQUIRREL!), but it doesn’t hurt anything. Little bit molasses and raisin type notes, especially on second steeps. Strong enough, no sharp unpleasant flavors. Not outstanding, but smooth and very drinkable.

I love this tea! Definitely a must-try for any milk tea drinker.

My recent Lupicia order included a letter from Angie at Lupicia’s Customer Service department and a sample of Assam Calcutta Auction. Based on my order (smooth black and milk teas), this tea fits in perfectly with my tastes. Smooth, sweet, malty, and enhanced by milk, this tea is a lovely milk or chai. I continue to be impressed by Lupicia’s attentiveness to their customers, and recommend signing up for their newsletter, which has introduced me to new flavours of tea.

Originally I purchased this with the plan to use it as a base for chai. Then I picked up a different chai base tea on a Home Goods run, so I decided to open this one up. Plus, a friend was visiting and I knew she would love this tea. Glad I didn’t wait. Dang, it’s good! Nice full body, malty, fantastic with milk. Super satisfying alongside a sweet breakfast. I love you, Lupicia!

Here’s Hoping Teabox – Round Seven- Tea #21
A solid black tea, the first cup is malty and brisk and tastes like molasses. I might have oversteeped the second cup, even though I only brewed up a teaspoon. There are longer leaves mixed with the CTC leaves but I like this for a CTC leaf. I love the molasses flavor in a black tea.
I have been seriously not reading any tasting notes…. I hope all of you have been okay!