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Picked this up at the Southwest Tea Fest this past weekend after trying it iced. It was ridic good cold. Hot, it’s good but not as mind blowing. I’ll have no trouble getting through it either way but it may not be anything I keep over other Assams.

It’s malty, thick and mildly sweet. Have it cold and some brighter notes come out along with a more pronounced honeylike sweetness.

Noms. Mellow, smooth but with a little bite if left to steep for a long time. Not a bad bite, mind you. The first thing that hits is the malt and, wow. A bit of sweetness in the sip but not as strong as the malt. Can’t wait to try again with a bit shorter steep and see if that takes out the bite. Thanks, Indigobloom for sharing this one!

Oh my. This is some serious Assam nums. Very malty and with a smooth sweetness. The malt tends to fall off at the cooling end of the cup and a hint of bitter creeps in. The leaf appearance is stunning. Thanks to Indigobloom for sharing some of this delicious tea!

This is a nice, mildly sweet tea. I can taste the jasmine and the peach both but neither is overwhelming. A mellow, calming tea without bitterness or harshness. Well balanced and delicious.

Ah… back in my cupboard after a long absence. Still tasty as I remember if maybe a bit lighter. Hay and mild malt with sweetness and yeast. Smooth and a bit dusty in the aftertaste and scent.

Double size mugs are the best way to do this tea. And this weather.

First things first – this is a gorgeous cup. I love African rosewood and the silver being almost white is such a perfect complement to the wood color. It feels good to hold and the wood keeps the silver from burning my fingers.

I used this for the first time tonight with a Dian Hong. I compared an unglazed clay cup and the silver rosewood cup and a Crimson Lotus silver cup. I wouldn’t have noticed if not doing it side by side like this but there is definitely a moderating influence that this cup exerts on at least this tea. It sat in the pot for a bit longer than desirable. In the unglazed clay cup, it was pretty harsh. It was a bit more mellow in the CL silver cup but in this one it was noticeably smoother and the bitter edges seemed to fade.

I am extremely curious to experiment with other teas in this cup now.

This is a tasty tea. Some sweetness, some sour, but well balanced. The taste lingers on the back of the tongue. A thick feeling tea.

It’s got some bite to it when left to steep. :)

Oh… I may have found my Holy Grail. The search for the elusive replacement for Min River’s JJM may have come to an end. This is a fantastic JJM. It’s cocoa and malt and sweet hay with a medium body. And I’ve had basically a soup bowl full of it. :)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKMVdkahHGE/?taken-by=midwestteafest

This is a favorite. For some reason yesterday in my travel mug, it tasted like Jack & Coke. And before someone asks, no, I have never had anything in the mug but tea. :) I felt like I was doing something illegal by drinking it while I was driving.

Fruit and sugarcane and that touch of fermentation that you get from… well, a decently made Jack and Coke. Or maybe I just need to get back to Vegas soon… :)

Need to do a side by side with some of their other Assams but this one so far is not a standout. The leaves smell of a strong sweet malt but the flavor is somewhat lackluster. From this first cup, I get a moderate, average black tea. Need to try again. No rating.