Khongea Golden Tippy Assam

Mmmm it was an Assam kinda morning for me. I stayed up late reliving my adolescence watching all of the “Monster of the Week” X-Files eps I could remember on Netflix. Fun times. I love that looking back I discover almost all of my faves were Vince Gilligan-written, surprise surprise. And it made me smile that “Pusher”, which he wrote and has stuck with me for over a decade, actually feels very proto-BBish in ways (the opening scene, Pusher’s speeches).

This smells so good steeping! That satisfying “TEA!” aroma (legacy teas, for me primordial ironically enough), but with a citrusy freshness too. And yeah, I must admit it smells quite a bit like the Dunhill International Superior Milds, the ones in the gorgeous blue box that Elizabeth David pointed to to indicate the color she wanted her enameled cookware to be, back when they still made those. That might sound gross but it’s a high compliment—there was never a more deliciously fresh, grassy-in-a-good-way tobacco. So yes, tobacco, but really really good tobacco, not the musty old man library stuff. I appreciate that this is real Assam, strong tasting, but completely lacks the harshness many Assams have. There’s a wonderful bitterness at the end of each sip, but it’s relatively soft for an Assam and complements the clean mild astringency at the front, with its vague fruit and flowers thing.

I could be wrong but in a way I think I like this more than Andrews and Dunham Tiger Assam. This seems more complex to me, as if it’s perfumed without actually smelling of perfume, if that makes any sense. To me, Tiger Assam is kinda like Double Knit Blend (only not quite as smooth and comforting), something when you just want to taste old skool TEA without puckering and not think much about it but be rewarded anyway. This is more like, sit undistracted and fall down the rabbit hole of your tea cup with all the senses you’re stimulating. Really gorgeous and not the sort of experience I tend to associate with Assams.

I’ve been quite enjoying this one. I find this one is a bit of a mystery, as I’m tasting a lot of things, but this past week or two I’ve been having difficulty pinning down exactly what those tastes are.

I definitely like it more at the five minute range. I think the best way I can describe the five minute steep, is that it goes sort of walnutty. It’s like, take a walnut, sprinkle some cinnamon and cloves on it, and throw on a couple pieces of hay for good measure. It finishes with a woody sort of taste, and as the cup cools, I can then taste the raw cacao notes at the finish as well, whereas I couldn’t really taste that while it’s still piping. Even then, very mildly mind you. The finish is woody with a trace of cacao. If I wasn’t looking for it, I’d probably have missed it.

Along with how it’s difficult to describe how it tastes, it’s also difficult to put a rating on it. I’m not really sure where it stands as a number. However, I know I really like this, and while I wouldn’t order it every time, I’d definitely order it every two or three times. :)

My family is Irish, so I grew up drinking Assam-heavy blends. My mother’s family emigrated from Ireland when she was an adolescent. My father’s side of the family has been here longer, but they may be even bigger tea drinkers. I have a cousin on his side who just turned a year old, and he already takes a cup Barry’s in his bottle both in the morning and at night. “Decaf at night, of course!” defends my aunt, but let’s not get into whether or not this is child abuse…

Anyway, my point was that I love Assam, and this one is now one of my favorites. It’s a little less sweet than the Assams I tend to like most. This one’s strength lies in, well, it’s heartiness and strength. A great cup!

Today’s tea of choice. I’ve been feeling pretty crappy for a while now, with headaches and nausea, and so today I wanted something straightforward and understandable to round off the week. This fit the bill perfectly. Assam is, and probably always will be, my favourite variety of black tea. Assam is what got me started drinking tea, and it’s what keeps me going when I’m at my lowest. I somehow reassuring and familiar, and I love it.

I used 1 tsp of leaf and gave it 4 minutes in boiling water. The resulting liquor is reddish-brown. I’ve drank this one a couple of times before and noted its tendency to astringency, so I added a splash of milk to smooth things out.

I feel like there isn’t a great deal I can say about this one. It’s deliciously malty, very bold, and makes a great morning or pick-me-up tea. It’s fairly smooth, but with a slight rugged roughness at the end of the sip that sets it apart. It reminds me a little of A&D Tiger Assam in that respect. To my mind, this makes a great everyday tea, albeit a premium choice. There are other Assams I prefer more for their flavour – Taiwanese or Golden Lion varieties tend to tick those boxes for me. This one is just malty awesomeness, which is perhaps a little one-note, but sometimes that’s all I’m really looking for.

This one’s a feel good tea, and as such will be sadly missed.

My order of Three Friends arrived, along with this sample. :)

This one is nice. It’s has a touch of both maltiness and the most subtle hint of astringency. I’m enjoying it, but I don’t think I need it in my cupboard. I ultimately enjoy the Dinjoye more.

Thanks for the sample Stacy!

Tea of the morning here and it’s a sipdown. Okay, I only bought 1 oz. of this but it’s gone anyway. :)

I find a lot of teas are fine in smaller quantities unless I really love them, odds are I will get sick of drinking them before I finish an entire tin. I forgot to set the timer for this one and I walked off and left it steeping. It got a bit oversteeped but still drinkable, especially with soymilk and sugar.

what a nice Assam! has beautiful golden tips and infuses quickly since the leaves are quite small. the liquor started out as the most gorgeous golden shade of burnt sienna….then it slowly darkened into this stunning auburn shade of amber. quite red with an orange warmth to it. it was lovely to see this steep!

it reminds me a lot of Grandpa’s Anytime Tea in terms of flavor & color. this was a solid cup and had a rather smooth flavor in my opinion. but nice and full-bodied. also had that cozy graham cracker ‘essence’ floating around somewhere in the back, which most definitely came to the forefront in the second steep. in the first steep, i could have almost sworn i was getting ‘raisinette’ at the end of each sip! then again, my adulerants were brown sugar and soy milk. this tea held up very well to both and turned a lovely shade of caramel.

a very nice Assam. i might just prefer this to their Premium Taiwanese Assam, though i’m not entirely sure. will have to do a side-by-side comparison. but for anyone curious about the taste of Grandpa’s Anytime Tea, try this! ….it has the same lovely flavor and produces a most splendid color.

I’ve been a bad Steepster friend the last week or so. I haven’t been posting tasting notes, I’m barely reading tasting notes, not keeping up on the forum. I’m sorry. I’m around. Love you guys – I’ve just been in a bit of a “funk” lately. I think I’m sick of winter and have taken hibernation to the next level.
I need to log some of the teas I’ve been drinking so that I can take them out of my cupboard.
Thank you TheTeaFairy for sending this my way.
I like tippy golden teas in general, even though Assam isn’t my favorite. I had a good time with this tea at work yesterday. Not my favorite – but a solid black tea.