Assam Gold Rain

Forgot I had this. It’s still good even though it’s a couple years old.

Experience buying from Teavana online http://steepster.com/places/2822-teavana-online-atlanta-georgia

Date of Purchase: Purchased at their 2011 end-of-year sale at a discount, and brewed up my first cup right away.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Pretty,: a few light-caramel-colored leaves mixed in with mostly dark chocolate-brown leaves; a little sweet, and like any standard Indian black tea, not too aromatic, and definitely not as yummy as it tastes.

Brewing guidelines: Ceramic cup and lid, tea in metal basket strainer; stevia added.
……….1st: Off boiling, mildly warmed cup; 2’ …Awesome!
……….2nd: Near boiling, warmed cup; 3’…….Still Awesome!
……….3rd: Boiling, warmed cup; 4’…………….Great!
……….4th: Boiling, very warmed cup; 7’………Still good flavor!
……….5th: Spot on Boiling, hot cup; 10’ ……..Oh, well, just mild flavor.

Aroma of tea liquor: < later >

Flavor of tea liquor: I really liked the flavor of this Assam. I am still new to the unflavored black arena, but this tea reminds me of a good Yunnan in that it was sweet and carmel-y; I think full bodied applies here, too. Oh, and I just remembered the malty question (“How do you describe what malty tastes like?”) I asked on Steepster a while back; I remember LiberTEAS (and others) trying to help me to understand what malty truly tastes like (like the wort of pre-fermented beer, OR bread-y, yeast-y; these all helped), and I remember someone suggesting to try a good Assam. Well, here it is, but I’m not certain I am any wiser. Next time I brew this up (I am writing this up a day after drinking it), I need to sit down and really take in the flavor of this Assam and pay attention to what comes up for me. Next time.

Appearance of wet leaf: Looks like mid-grade Indian leaf to me, although it says, FTGFOP-1. Really? It doesn’t look much better than the leaf in a Java OP I have. I guess I don’t know much about the grading system of Indian black teas, either. Which begs the question, what do I know, anyway? : p

Value: This tea is less than $1/oz at 75% off the original price (I am estimating it was about $3/oz.). I think full price isn’t even that far off the mark, considering the flavor.

Overall: This is what I consider to be my first Assam (although I have very likely had one before, and I didn’t know it at the time). A minor note: It gave the inside of my white ceramic cup a light chocolate colored stain that I don’t think any of the other black teas have done (but I guess I normally steep black tea in my traditional ceramic teapot, so doing it in a cup is kinda new for me, and said tea did sit for a while during at least one steeping). I admit I wasn’t expecting much out of this tea, as I get the impression the Assam’s are the run-of-the-mill Indian black teas. Well, either I am dead wrong (happens often enough) or this is an exceptional Assam, for, this … tea … ROCKS! I love the sweetness, and the caramel flavor. I am impressed that it yielded four good steepings. I look forward to brewing this up again (and I wish I had bought more, now that it’s sold out!).

Brewed 2 tsp of tea leaves at 208 degrees for 4 minutes, with 2 1/2 tsp of Teavana’s German rock sugar, no milk. The whole milk in tea thing kind of wigs me out, but I grew up in the South where you grow up with cheap ice tea in your baby bottle so take as you will.

First couple of sips I was wondering what is that sourness, but under it the usual caramelly malty flavor. For first half of the cup no astringency, but as I drink more it is beginning to dry my mouth out now. The flavor seems to deepen as it cools. Aftertaste has the astringency and still a hint of the sourness. Not sure what’s going on there. Could be aftertaste of the sugar, not the tea.

I’ve been working my way through a 3 oz packet of this, have only 1 or 2 steepings left in it. Almost all my tea is from Teavana at the moment, but I just placed an order with Upton so we’ll see. This Assam Gold Rain and their Golden Monkey are my top two at the moment — I have Copper Knot Hongcha and Nine Dragon as well. Will get to them in the days ahead.

Like any Assam variety, this yields a very strong-tasting brew that one can either love or hate. This is a tea that you need to keep a close eye on. If oversteeped, the result will put hair on your chest, among other things.

Nothing spectacular, but a solid black tea. Smooth and malty. That being said, you can get better for cheaper.

Also not a huge fan of it being called single estate and them not mentioning which estate.

Often this is my wake-me-up-cup. I alternate with Assam, EB and Irish Breakfast. I agree with others that it is a little weak in body and color, but the taste is great. I drink mine with a splash of milk. For some reason I like my black teas only with milk.

I’m happy with this one every time I make it. Just a tad of honey this time to let the flavor of the tea be the highlight. Now…I think I have papers to write, but this is the best excuse to procrastinate.

Been having this at work for the last who knows how long. It’s really old as well. It has held onto flavor decently – malty though it can get astringent. Sipdown.
Now I’ve got to find a new tea to have at work. No rating as I didn’t pay a lot of attention. Got pulled into a meeting at work…

To quote Neal Stephenson, it is like drinking your favorite book.

I desperately need to find something that this blends well with. I like it as a black tea, but I’m a bit bored of it now. It is a bit like drinking red wine, although part of me just wonders why I’m not actually drinking red wine instead.