Assam Yunnan Blend G.B.O.P.

If this indeed is the right tea that I am reviewing…

What an interesting tea! I steeped it briefly at boiling and am drinking it straight up unsweetened. When it was hottest, my first few sips were vanilla custard. Enchanting. And then, as it cooled, it got all malty frisky. And then, a few astringent notes started rising up. As I continue to warm my cup by topping up from my travel mug, the buttery notes resurface. Yummy and very much enjoyable, but a tad finicky.

Thank you, Sil, for sending me this one to try.
I am very much behind on trying samples and tea swaps in general: ok, ok, behind with the whole tea world really, but making slow gentle progress nevertheless. Aaargh.

This is why you have to try everything. This is why I’m always excited to see things in a swap/care package that I would never choose for myself.
This is totally different from the other Assam I was drinking earlier. This is a beautiful tea – not at all what I would expect from an Assam. Still not in my preferred flavor profile for black but really interesting.
It’s a little fruity and and light. Some wine/grape notes while it’s really hot. As it cools those notes deepen and it becomes a little bitter – but in a good way – almost sweet bitter chocolate. Very interesting.
Thanks so much Sil for sending this my way.

Hope this is the right spot for this tea. This is a pretty nommy Assam blend. Steeped at just below boiling for 2 minutes. Tasted hot and it was drinkable but nothing stand out. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then that sweet spot hit for Assams and me. Malt notes become more present, liquor becomes sweeter. Nothing I need to pick up over other Assams in my cupboard that are more accessible to me, but super happy to have tried this. Thanks, SIl!

Oh, and Assams pair nicely with fruity candy, just in case you were looking for a food pairing. Starburst and Skittles and Assams. A good breakfast.

not a bad cup for this morning. I don’t ADORE this tea, so i’m glad that i’m getting around to finishing up the last of this. It’s interesting and it’s always nice to try new things but i won’t be upset when this one finally leaves my cupboard. What’s great is the price since i picked this one up in paris when our dollar was doing well – it was cheaper than a number of straight teas i typically stock from companies here :)