Assam Tea Company

I have no idea if this is from my Amoda box or a share from someone else (but if it’s a share, it’s from Sil, so thanks if so!)

This is an interesting-smelling chai. Heavy on the cinnamon and peppery flavours (ginger, in part). Not loving the rooibos base, which isn’t too surprising, though I was pleased that the spicing was strong, so it would probably take decently to milk + sweetener. Not my preferred spicing, though (not enough cardamom) nor base, so this isn’t one I’ll seek out again once it’s gone. However, probably a decent chai for those who like spicier rooibos versions.

Waste of $$$. No taste/flavours at all.

I like this tea and flavour of this tea. It has a very unique and fresh taste which always keeps me fresh and gives me energy to work more

Okay tea. Not sure what Assam silver needle is supposed to be about but this just seemed like any black tea.

Teeny Tiny TTB Round 2

I just finished a very sweet and decadent dessert from the local French bakery, so I figured something with a bit of tartness would be nice to offset that. And since cranberries are a bit tart, I chose this one to try. I can see a few pieces of citrus peel mixed in with the black leaves, and possibly some red flower petals? It doesn’t have much of a scent.

This definitely doesn’t smell or taste like cranberry… Maybe a tiny bit near the end? Mostly it just tastes like a very nondescript black tea base – at least it’s not bitter I suppose. Definitely not going to rate this as clearly it’s lost all of its flavor over time.

Queued post, written June 24th 2014

This whole sample pouch was sent to me by MissB back in December, and I’ve been equal parts confused and wary of it since.

Confused because the company name constantly makes me expect it to be a black tea, and then I look at the ingredients and discover it’s actually a rooibos. This has happened more times than I can count and is probably the primary reason it didn’t make it out of the yet to try box until now. I kept seeing it at the wrong times of day. Or what I thought was the wrong time of day.

Wary because last time I had an orange flavoured rooibos, it was… not a success. In fact I thought it tasted rather strongly like celery. I don’t care for raw celery, and I didn’t care for it in flavouring form while trying to pass itself off as orange. I can’t remember which company that was from, though.

This blend, however, doesn’t smell like celery at all. Nothing even close to celery. It’s actually orange. Or rather, it’s orange peel or zest. Fresh, mind. It smells like when you are peeling a fresh orange. Here’s to hoping it’ll actually taste like an orange as well.

Tastewise it was a little disappointing. Did it taste like orange? Yes. Did it taste like rooibos? Yes. Do I feel rooibos and orange are flavours that match each other well? No.

It wasn’t quite to the point of tasting like celery, but it was definitely leaning in that direction, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it might be because these two flavours just don’t suit each other that well. Not to me, at least.

It wasn’t outright unpleasant. It just wasn’t very pleasant either.

When I received this in MissB ’s mystery bag I knew I would skip trying it hot and save it for iced teas on hot Summer days, and that’s what I did. Nice strong brisk black iced tea with raspberry flavor. I could see myself ordering this sometime.

TTTTB

Man, this is another tea that I really wanted to enjoy…but it just hit me as being generically fruity and crisp. The black tea base is solid and the flavouring is well-executed, but I didn’t get “cranberry” as a flavour.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s another cup that didn’t manage to impress me.

T&C TTB#2: This smells wonderfully raspberry! It has a good taste but it is trending a little towards bitter at the end of the steep. It seems like it is definitely one of those finicky Assams. I even understeeped it per package directions. I don’t know that I’d buy any of this, but it is good. :)

TTB&C #9

Raspberry and strawberry with tea for me can be hit or miss. I really like fruity tea done well and this was done really well. The raspberry was the right amount of sweet and tart. The base was a nice black base that didn’t take over the taste of the fruit. I really liked this. The first half of this cup I drank hot. By the time I got back to the cup it had cooled quite a bit and the bottom half of the cup was delicious cold. I think I am going to have to place an order with Assam Tea Company. This is the second tea I have tried from them and both have been a hit. Thank-you NayLynn for including this in the box!

this was another really lovely tea from missB I’m not sure that i’d call this cranberry, but then i wonder if that’s because i’m so used to cranberry “cocktail.” Either way this is a really nicely blended, fruity tea. there’s little bitterness here and it’s just a lovely cup overall. I’m looking forward to trying more assam company’s teas in the future!

thank you for sending this my way MissB this is a really decadent rich chocolatey blend. A little sweetner and milk and it was a very rich dark chocolate drink…similar to hot chocolate but not.

This was part of my first purchase from MissB in January. I picked this as an add on because it was organic and I figured it would be good iced and it is.

The dry leaf smells like a freshly pealed orange.
I’ve been cold brewing this green tea and it taste like the peel of an orange without being too bitter, very refreshing. My son likes it and has been requesting it a lot lately so it is know gone and I may have to get more sometime.

The tea tastes very smooth and floral. The passion fruit lends a juicy flavor, but the green tea is a little astringent. Thanks Suzie for the sample

Another fairly fruity tea for the day!
I seriously just packed a whole lot of teas that I’ve never had or only had once and I’m drinking just a small cup as I study.

This one doesn’t smell like cranberries, but cherries instead. I’m feeling more adventurous today to try a whole lot of black tea blends where the dry leaf smell doesn’t smell like a me-tea.
This tea has that mediciney black tea smell again, from the dry leaves to steeping.
Oh gosh no no. Not again :/ It’s definitely not a good tea when you drink it and your cousins see you make a face! The flavour of the cranberry is fairly weak while the base became bitter.
I’ll drink the rest of this cup. See if any additions of milk or sugar will do anything to it, but right now it’s just.. no.

Going to brew a cup I KNOW I love after this because two not-so-good cups of tea in a row is my limit.

Thought I’d passed along all of my Assam samples (which, by the way, are huge 10c samples for $1.95 mostly) however this one seems to have hidden so as to have me drink it. Earlier today I brewed up my large Timolino-full, and was pleasantly surprised. It tastes like tea-infused cranberry sauce, minus a bit of the sweetness, and a hint of orange. It’s nice, it’s flavorful, it’s as described, although I do prefer it hot over this now-cooled temperature, only because it has a hint of bitterness now that eluded the brew before.

This is another chai that the wonderful MissB tossed into my shared BF order box. Thank you so much.
I liked this one. I find it odd that I like this one, but I do. I’m a purest in that I think good chai should be BLACK. I’m ok with this one being rooibos, and I’m ok with the unusual balance of spices. This gets a thumbs up.

Thank you MissB for this sample and the hundred others (not quite) that you managed to stuff into that envelope. Way to raise the standards on our swap. raises eyebrow

No worries. I will send you amazing things in return!

This was a pretty good chocolatey blend. It’s really rich and dark. So dark. Surprisingly dark. I wish the blend had a slightly nicer base to go with the flavouring, but I wouldn’t say no to drinking more of this.

And this is a great start to trying out all my new samples! (My cupboard is up to 181 now…)

Wowser Mango! I opened the bag of this and the smell is amazing!

I have to say up front that peach/mango isn’t usually my thing, if it’s artificial at all anyway. Love the real stuff! But I gave this one a go anyway and didn’t let the “mango” on the label keep me from opening and trying this one.

Steeped this maintains much of it’s fragrance, and tastes much like it smells. I could see myself drinking this on the rare occasion. Hubby asked what I was drinking because he could smell it before I joined him in the living room. Usually the fake fragrance of mango or peach is off-putting to both of us. He wasn’t disturbed by it, but couldn’t place what he was smelling… good sign!

I have been surprised to find that some flavors that I don’t care for in food/drinks, I can like in tea… This is one. I don’t want it all the time, but on occasion might reach for it for something different. Thanks MissB for including it in my box of goodness ! I wouldn’t likely have tried it on my own.

If I don’t find myself sipping this up fast enough, I’ll likely give the rest to a friend of mine who is a lover of all things mango or peach…. She would absolutely love this one! Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll just serve it to her when she is over with her kids to visit… It might give her a reason to make it over more often :) We all need some motivation to slow down and spend time together these days… why not make some good tea a part of the reason?

Hm. Like many greens that I find less-than-favorable, this is just okay hot, and quite lovely as it cools. It’s definitely a creamy vanilla, almost like vanilla meringue, yet much lighter. I doubt I’ll buy this again, however it is a nice cup.

Very creamy, dark chocolate, right off the bat. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised by this tea – most of the chocolate teas I’ve had have been… okay. This is simple, yet delicious. The first thing I may actually re-order from Assam!