Scent in package: kind of fruity, oddly enough.
Brewed in: unbleached filter bags
Steeped: 4-5 min.@ boiling
Cup: Café mug
I wanted to try this because it just sounded like the perfect blend of tea for waking up with. Yunnan and Assam teas blended together, simple enough. The scent kind of amused me…I would never have thought those two particular teas would smell “fruity”. But it is a very pleasant smell.
The dry leaves aren’t really anything special to look at – just small, twisted black leaves, with a few golden tips as you might expect with Yunnan tea in the mix. I used around one and a half teaspoons dried leaves to my 12 oz. cup, as I normally do. The scent of the brewed tea is lovely – the two teas complimenting each other well.
The tea itself certainly doesn’t disappoint. And yes, there is a fruity undertone, which I can only think must come from the Assam, as India teas are generally more “fruity” as a whole to my palate. The interesting part of this blend is that the Yunnan really does give that more “solid, peppery” taste to the brew, infusing it with a boldness and strength that the assam might not have had otherwise.
I’ll admit, it’s not the most complex tea I’ve ever had (though I do enjoy the flavors of each tea playing off each other in the brew). But it’s perfect for that sort of “everyday cup” that I drink first thing before I’m really awake enough to be more aware of mingling flavors and such. It’s a good wake-me-up tea, and the flavors are interesting enough to call attention to themselves, albeit in a subtle way.
I like it a lot. And it’s not expensive, at just $6.00 for a quarter pound bag. I’ll definitely consider keeping some of this on hand…it’s really a great breakfast blend, as stated on the Dragonwater web site.
What is the most expensive tea you have purchased? Was it worth it?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. :-) I think the most I've spent on one particular tea is $38 for a puerh cake...and it really is a good cake, even now (hopefully it ages well). In my case, I don't drink puerh often, so the cost goes a long way (and many, many infusions per brewing session).
ReplyDeleteI think that the most expensive loose tea I've bought is the Golden Dragon Aged Oolong. It's absolutely fabulous, and I paid $24.95 for 3oz of it. I will admit that I don't drink it often, but I do feel like the cost was worth it in that case.
I spent $24 for 3oz of Ti Kuan Yin from Ten Tea as well, but it came with a very nice porcelain canister, and it is truely a fabulous, luxurious tea - I don't regret that money at all either.
Republic of Tea has a Wu Yi Oolong that is out of this world - and every year, I want to buy it. It costs $20 for just 1 oz of loose tea, and so far, I haven't given in, but I seriously consider it every single year (and they do sell out of it). *sigh*
When dark powers conspire ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing my attention to this very interesting combination of teas.
I'm going to start looking for that fruity thing in my Assams, certainly not something I've consciously noted before, but in the back of my mind ...
Great post. Sensitive yet to the point, as usual.
OK, maybe it's only my imagination or the power of your suggestion, but I'm drinking an Assam from Tfactor called Kama Black, a second flush Satrupa Estate. It's not as very malty as some (yum!) Assams, but it does have some of that malt.
ReplyDeleteWith the malty taste, however, a sort of mouth-watering sensation and a flavor (aroma?) of something like dried cherries.
Mmm, fruity? ... or illusion? Whatever it is, I'm enjoying it! Thanks again for your thought provoking review.
You're most welcome, Salsero. Truely, I never noticed anything "fruity" at all about Assams until I started drinking more Darjeeling-type teas...and then it sort of "popped out" in the Assam teas too, that muscatal-fruitiness, hiding in the malt. Not all of them, of course - and I tend to prefer Assam with more maltiness than fruitiness, but I do notice it more now than I used to. Interesting, isn't it? :-)
ReplyDelete