I have finally made a really tough decision, one that will affect a large part of next year…I am not buying any more tea or tea gear until I save up enough for an Xbone. I mentioned my reasoning for getting an Xbone over a new computer before, basically I want to expand and keep working on the world I have been building since the beginning of 2013, if I get a PC I would have to start over, and as silly as it sounds, Ramble is my home. Problem is I am running out of room, on the Xbone it will expand A LOT, and this is something I really want. So I have to make the choice, more tea or a new system, luckily I will still be in the couple of tea clubs I am a member of, so it is not like I am going to run out…plus I have a lot of tea I need to drink, like seriously, my stash is out of control. The hard part will, of course, be staying away from the thrift stores!
Today I am taking a look at Rosali Tea’s Blend No. 1 Assam, a single origin Black Tea from India, though alas I am not sure as to which estate it comes from. Assam was one of my first loves, I used to drink it a lot, well until the Dian Hong seduced me away with golden fuzzies, but I still love me a good Assam. But before I get into that, I just learned Rosali Tea is holding a contest to win a year of their tea, yeah I am so entering. So, back to tea! The aroma of the really quite sizable leaves (for Assam, I am used to them being small and tippy rather than full leaves) is really sweet. Strong notes of honey and malt with thick molasses and a slightly woody brisk undertone. This might be the most mellow and sweet Assam black teas I have sniffed, there is even a slight cacao shell note at the finish, which is neat!
Steeping apparatus time! Poor thing has felt neglected of late. The aroma of the now quite soggy leaves is malty and sweet, with a strong molasses presence, it kinda reminds me of a molasses cookie with its sweetness and slightly yeasty dough notes. Along side this is a slight woody briskness, which gives it a bit of liveliness in my nose. The liquid is rich and sweet, heavy notes of molasses and honey with brown sugar and malt. This is shaping up to be a killer sweet Assam, which is really quite entertaining.
Tasting time, and I decided to use my really quite outrageous vintage teacup, all about the lustreware! Starting out, the mouthfeel on this Assam is a fantastic blend of smooth and brisk, it is mellow while also waking up my mouth, it is pretty enjoyable. Sometimes I find Assam to be a little too brisk, but not this time. The taste starts sweet and stays sweet until the very end, with notes of caramel, molasses, and brown sugar. This moves to malt and a touch of a woody finish. I ended up resteeping this tea no problem, though I did not find much had changed between steepings. I think this might be the sweetest Assam I have had, not only did I love it, but the Tea Barbarian really enjoyed it, he practically drank all of it himself!
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/12/rosali-tea-blend-no-1-assam-tea-review.html
