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This morning I woke up knowing that it was a straight assam day. Thursday. Sometime called Turdsday around here, because it ain’t Friday. This cup was made for today. A 2 minute steep gave me a strong cup with expected results…..a strong cup of assam. For some reason, this tea will give me a drinkable 2nd steep, which I took advantage of today to keep me awake in a droll meeting. No notes to report besides a nice background maltiness….just a basic assam for a strong cup of milk tea.

I almost missed it….the part where the label of this tea says 2 teaspoons per 8 oz of water. I’ve previously only had a sample of this from Butiki, but the flavor profile was so fascinating that I ordered it.
I’m still quite stumped at the fact that this is a Keemun and it doesn’t taste or smell just like potting soil (you know, the kind with those little white beady-balls that looks like Styrofoam but aren’t?)…all the breakfast blends that I’ve tasted have had a really earthy note that was blamed on the Keemun. I reckon I have to rethink that Keemun always goes with DIRT. :)

This is such a beautiful flavor profile. The notes change while it’s in your mouth (ok, it does sound weird. But I am weird.) At first, it reminds me of outside in a shady old place…a bit loamy and pine-ish (not like air freshener)…and bit mushroom-y… and some flowers….very low-key flowers. Like where a gnome would live!! As I swallow the tea, the notes change and become a bit more malty and whole feeling. There is just a touch of astringency after it leaves my mouth, but it’s the good kind of astringency….not too drying….just enough dryness so that your mouth wants another sip. And as long as Stacy and Butiki carries this tea, that is a very good thing!

Second day with Lattakoojan Assam. I use a Finum Tea Control .8

http://www.finum.com/gourmet-accessories/tea-makers-non-electric/tea-control-08.html

The finum lets me leave the leaves in but stops the steeping process by separating them from the liquid when I twist the top. Quite ingenius, actually. I’m not sure if it does the leaves any favors or harm for a second steep by putting pressure on them, but I try to do this gently.

Anyhow back to the tea. Again, cocoa bottom notes, some stone fruit, a bit more malt than I was aware of yesterday. The astringency lifts the cocoa off the bottom of the flavor profile a bit as the tea drops in temperature, which is nice, as I like a cup of tea that changes as I drink it….more interesting! All of my tasting notes from yesterday still stand….and I’m still happy drinking this Assam!

This assam is smooth. Wait, I think I spelled that wrong….this assam is smooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooth. And cocoa-y. Not cocoa krispies cocoa….more like Scharffenberger cocoa. I also got a stone fruit note from it and a light malt. This isn’t a digital alarm clock (beep beep beep!) assam…it’s a “smooth jazz coming on quietly and progressively getting louder” alarm clock assam for the mornings when you want to be awake, but don’t want your feathers ruffled too much…. recommended.

This is a lighter Keemun that “the usual suspects” that hold the depth of “Middle Earth” in their mouthful. Named appropriately, Spring Keemun by Andrews & Dunham is light but full of flavor, for those who are patient with steeping. This is a Keemun Xiang Luo (Fragrant Spirals) and when I opened the tin, it looked like tiny little elves had been working away on a piece of black wood on a lathe all night long and put the little twirly shavings in this tin….it looks magical! There is a mild smell of the leaves in the tin, but I didn’t linger there, because I wanted TEA!! Into the cup the wee millings go!

Everything about this tea says Spring. The gentleness of the notes and color and how it feels on my tongue. The smell is earthy, but not middle-earthy. More like your neighbor is digging up their little veg garden on a breezy day. There’s a light baking bread note, a wee bit of sweet potato skin that wafts by, as well as a weensie floral note to top it all off.
That’s all I can write, cuz suddenly I looked in my cup and all my tea is gone. I’m glad it’s just the beginning of spring, because I have the tea to match the season. RAH!

Oh, this is a limited edition (aren’t most teas?) and they have a ticker of how many tins are left on their website….as of this morning there were 57 left of 150. I tweeted this company and asked if there were any coupons and they sent me a code to use for free shipping. So if you’re thinking of ordering for the first time from them, tweet them at @damnfinetea… it’s worth it and they are super responsive. Gotta love a company like that! It’s exactly what creates loyalty from me!

Somehow, in April in Southern California, a 85 degree week has turned into a blustery 55 degree weekend day….and my Tiger Assam arrived YESTERDAY!! Perfect timing! Since I’m a terminal milk and sugar girl, reviews of this tea built up my curiosity up so much that I paid $20 for 4.4 ounces of this stuff before I tasted or even sniffed it. This could go terribly wrong…but here goes.

Dry leaves: Malt. Definitely very assam-y.
Wet: more malty goodness. I was so excited to smell this tea wet that I fogged up my glasses huffing what was in the cup. And I wasn’t even embarrassed.
Drinking: Oh nom. nom nom nom. Not extraordinary like Butiki with many notes. Not astounding….. just assam NOM. Malty, a bit of a raisin bottom note, a touch of cocoa. I don’t think I could drink this without sugar and milk, as there is an astringency to this tea. …but the astringency is what makes this tea a “mouthful”…which on this wonderful surprise of a blustery day in Southern California is truly appreciated. YAAAAAAAY! Recommended to the milk and sugar crowd.

I was quite excited to try this tea this morning….I’ve grown to love Malachi McCormick from Harney, and this is what I believe to be an upgraded version with the Keemun being Hao Ya B. It is a “deeper” taste than Malachi. I can’t stand smokiness in teas (I’ve been chased out of my home by 2 wildfires, so the smell of smoke doesn’t cause particularly positive synapses to fire…. ) BUT this is a different smoke than those found in Russian Caravan teas. This is like the smell of a peat fire on a chilly evening in Dublin. It doesn’t overwhelm the malt, which for me usually happens. There is some astringency happening (if that what it means when you’re tongue feels dry when drinking the tea) I take all my tea with milk and sugar, and this handles it well. Overall, this would be a great try for someone who loves breakfast teas, as I do!

This was a sample sent to me when I ordered from Gather! and my second go at it. Today I’m still smelling the wonderful bread note from it, but again, this seems to be a lighter African tea….lacking the mouthful of flavor that I typically expect from African teas. It also feels a bit astringent in my mouth today….but I never know if that’s the tea or me having not drank enough water these days…..I don’t like teas that leave my mouth feeling dry. Is that what most people call astringency? Sigh….so much to learn! Anyhow, Is this BAD tea? No, not bad. Will I restock? Nah….the world of tea is a big big place and I’m ready for some other good stuff!!

This box o’tea was 1 pound 49 pence at Tesco in England for 125 grams of tea. What made me smile is that I was expecting tea leaves, because the word leaf was in the name. aaaaahahaahahahaaaaaaaaaaa! This stuff is smaller that ctc. It truly looks like coffee grounds when you’re done with it. BUT, with that said, it isn’t bad. It’s a bit malty, a bit better than the “80 bags a box” tea blends in England and takes milk and sugar well. Even though this is almost powder, I think it could take the full 5 minutes steep without bitterness, as I chickened out at 3 minutes due to the size of the leaf. A nice souvenir from England for the non-tea fanatic? Yes. Something extraordinary? Nah. But I’m not throwing it away or giving it away, so that’ll tell you it ain’t that bad!

I have a problem with black tea and vanilla combined. I have the problem with this tea and also with Café Moto’s Vanilla black tea blend. When I drink them I get this taste…well.. (hold onto your hats, folks) that isn’t really a taste… it’s more like a smell….the smell of the inside of a car repair place…kind of petrol-ish. I’m sure it’s a product of my wonky palate, but all the same, that’s what my mouth gets. I read someone’s else’s review that said they got a “smoky” note from this tea….hmmmm… perhaps the smoky and the vanilla combine to make petrol….but all the same, I won’t be buying this again. For me it’s like teatime down at the local oil change place….and I only need that every 3000 miles.