Decaf Assam

Here’s Hoping TTB.

I’ve had this one before, and it’s surprising just how fruity it is. I quite enjoy it, so I’m bumping up the rating a bit.

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox – Round #5 – Tea #30
S&V has so many decaf options! I love that. A decaf assam sounds like an oxymoron since assam is usually bold. This one is on the lighter side (which is understandable). It still has an assam flavor, despite being a decaf tea. I can only describe assams as having a brightness to them or crisp, fruity, brassy. I’m only ever using ‘brightness’ as a description for assams and not other types of tea. I guess they could also be rusty in a nice tea way. This one might not be a bold assam, but it’s delicious for a decaf.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon // just boiled // 3 minute steep

As errands cost me time to drink some puerh before it was too late for me to have caffeine I thought I’d drink this. This is a fairly tasty black tea. I do not know how it compares to other assams of the non decaf nature. This one is good overall. It has little in the way of bitterness, astringency, or malt. It has a bit of a fruity flavor to it, I’m not sure which fruit I would identify it with. On a bad point it has a bit, just a bit of a sour note to it. Not enough to bother me though. As tomorrow is my first day at a new job I didn’t want to have anything with caffeine after four o clock as I need to sleep tonight and I already have insomnia. Simpson and Vail has done well with the decaf teas of theirs I have tried. Most have been good. They don’t noticeably lower the quality rung to get a decaf. I know some decaf are just horrible but this one is alright, good for an afternoon like this. I usually cold brew their decaf teas which works well too.

I brewed this one time with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper for 3 min.