A lovely Assam! It brewed up dark and bold-looking but is remarkably smooth. Smooth enough that I haven’t added milk as is customary in my morning tea. Malty, astringent, a little woodsy, and a little sweet. I find this one has a lot less of the pepperiness I usually associate with Assams. Depending on my mood I can take or leave that kind of spiciness, so this is a nice surprise. I have another Mangalam Assam (though haven’t had it in a while), but this one seems smoother. Actually I just checked my tasting note for the other and see I commented on it being peppery. Interesting! I don’t know when/what harvest either is from.
There are lots of golden tips in the leaf. Also, it is quite dusty. Why are Assams typically so dusty?