India Assam Mancotta SFTGFOP-1 Clonal Black Tea

This tea is nice even if somewhat run-of-the-mill. Still, among Assam teas it is above average for sure. Apart from the standard black tea aroma, there are notes of chard, woody peat, berries and parsley. The taste is then bittersweet with main flavours being cranberry and dry wood. However, the most memorable quality is its smooth and creamy mouthfeel.

Okay, I’m finally back on Steepster after quite a long layoff. I always despise taking breaks from reviewing because getting back into the swing of writing reviews is so awkward for me after any time away from it. Unfortunately, my work schedule has been crazy the past few weeks, and even when I do get some free time, I am rarely alone in the house, so I end up dealing with lots of noise and interruptions. Believe it or not, I’m posting this review from my actual office. My grandmother and parents are home today, so getting any peace was out of the question, but everybody cleared out of work early, so I came back to the office to write in peace.

Anyway, this ended up striking me as a very enjoyable, high quality Assam black tea. I have not been drinking many teas like this lately, mostly because I am so familiar with what they tend to offer, but this one was not predictable or boring. As a matter of fact, it struck me as being fruitier and more floral than many of the other Assam black teas I have tried.

I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped approximately 3 grams of loose leaf material in 8 ounces of 203 F water for 5 minutes. I did not rinse the leaf material prior to steeping, and I also did not conduct any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted aromas of malt, tobacco, straw, cedar, and sweet potato. After infusion, I noted new aromas of raisin, cream, roasted almond, and toast as well as a stronger malt aroma. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of malt, raisin, cream, straw, toast, butter, leather, roasted almond, cocoa, sweet potato, cedar, orange zest, earth, and caramel that were balanced by hints of orchid, rose, black cherry, brown sugar, raspberry, strawberry, and tobacco. The finish was smooth, creamy, toasty, woody, and malty, though I did note some lingering fruity and floral hints in the aftertaste.

This was a very pleasant, nicely balanced Assam black tea with just enough depth and complexity to satisfy me. It also struck me as being lacking in any harsh bitterness or astringency. Overall, this was a very nice tea that I could see working on its own or with additives. I am fairly certain that fans of Assam black teas would be pleased with it.

Thank you Martin Bednář for recommending this! It arrived a few days ago but my first cup was really underwhelming.

I gave it another go tonight, doubling the amount of leaves, and I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this. It’s smooth and malty and rich, yet it still feels light.

I brewed up a 3-cup teapot western style – the first cup was smooth and malty but relatively flat. The second cup, however, had steeped for quite a while longer (probably 5 to 6 minutes instead of the recommended 3 to 4) and the resulting tea was richer and far more complex. The jammy, fruity notes are subtle at first but they grow as you take more sips. It’s definitely a raspberry jam but there’s a hint of strawberry too.

I’m onto the third cup now and it’s getting quite strong and not so smooth. The jam notes are holding up though. I can’t detect any of the spicy notes that other tasting notes have described.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this tea and writing up my full review: https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/what-cha-india-assam-mancotta-tea-review/

Sipping on this now that I have some breakfast in my belly. Blueberry waffles topped with a spiced mango compote and a drizzle of maple syrup.

This tea was kindly provided as a sample from M. What-Cha in my most recent order, thank you!

SFPTPOEIOPFDOD I’ve seen these letters so many times and know what they stand for but now I forget. I do know it stands for some top grade chit. Opening the pouch, I was hit with a very strong rose, maybe some orchid, and the classic black tea aroma. Hesitancy crept in because of the strong florality. Though what a fine looking leaf! TIny, twisted multi-colored tippiness was oh so fluffy in the palm of my hand.

Gone western: 2tsp, 8oz, 205F, 2 steeps at 3 and 5 minutes.

I brushed aside most of the hesitancy and skeptically sipped the first cup. The aroma was still very floral rose with red berry and citrus midtones and undertones of malt and perhaps cedar. It took several sips for both me and the tea to open up. Like eyeing somebody as you approach each other walking down the sidewalk but then realizing it’s one of your neighbors in the building, so you smile and open the front gate for them (city living in a rough neighborhood). Most of the tastes presented mid-mouth and back for me with malt, cedar, citrus, rose. After the swallow, I noticed a woody tannin drying on the tip of my tongue and some light tingling throughout the mouth. Then all of a sudden a bloom of red berries like raspberry-strawberry-cherry, citrus and butter opened up in the back of the mouth. This aftertaste persisted for a long time. I feel like there might also be a cooling quality in the mouth – eucalyptus? It all made me smile and feel content. It’s quite a body warming tea.

I don’t have much more to say about it. I don’t necessarily find it complex tastewise — it’s a fairly straight-forward black tea but the aromas and tastes are well played. A strong floral aroma, a good balance between darker malty and woody notes, citrus tang, fruitiness and some umami butter and the way it lights up different areas of the mouth all make for a pleasant experience. This SFHGORODFDK is good chit.

Edit: I’m now noticing some returning sweetness that seems to be coming from the depths of my chest and is tickling the back of my tongue. The tea is a hint bitter, but smooth and light-bodied.

I’m going to be honest: I haven’t had an Assam in a while, because I have honestly avoided them. Since Alistair gifted this, I knew it was going to be good.

I tried gong fuing the sample with a rinse. It was faintly resinous, but malty, and a little drying while all to thin. I upped it up to a little over a minute in my tumbler. Like every single What-Cha tea, it’s smooth and of good quality. The sip started off with viscous texture, accented into the Assam’s malt, hinted at some cocoa, cherry for a split second, and then finished dry with citrus and something that reminded me of gin in the slight bitterness and astringency in the end.

Second brew, more malt, viscousity, and a touch more cocoa. I can see the jam a little bit by approximation because its got a little bit of that rhaspberry tartness in the finish, but I am getting it in the later steeps. It’s not that sweet and remains very much malty like most Assams, but its balanced. The brew is going good on its own without additives so far, but I see this going better with cream and sugar, or even just a bit of sugar.

I personally would not buy it myself, but I’m glad I tried it and do recommend it to Assam lovers for something balanced.

I finished this tea today. I really enjoyed it – it is nice black tea with lots of malt. Little fruity notes, but today I noticed new scents and tastes: It was somehow spicy! Good though, everything was nice together and my previous tasting notes are right too.

Western, 2-3 grams; about 3-4 minutes brewing time; boiling water.

One of a number of lighter, more refined black teas I’ve bounced off lately. It’s malty and fruity, but delicately so. It’s actually a great tea, but I need something more solid in my black teas.

Someone with a better palate needs to add more comprehensive notes.