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“Bold, Brash, Brisk, Bitter. The 4 B’s. None are in a BAD way. But I might tinker with this one a bit more – so this rating might change. And I only infused for about a minute! Just a heads-up!” Read full tasting note
“This was the last of my black tea samples from Upton. It brewed up strong yet it was not too bold. It was eye-opening and invigorating. As far as CTC teas go, this was a pleasant suprise. Rich...” Read full tasting note
“This tea is in small little pellets like grapenuts. It is a bold, robust, and chewy tea with a caramel note at first sip. I was really surprised at this tea. There was no bitterness and a touch of...” Read full tasting note
“Tea of the morning here, 2/4 of Upton’s assam sampler. I don’t have a lot of experience with CTC’s aside from knowing they are produced in a different way than orthodox teas so here’s a short...” Read full tasting note
A bold CTC style tea with rich flavor. The dark liquor will readily take milk. Especially suited as a bracing morning tea.
Origin:
India
Steeping Suggestions: –
Leaf Quantity: 2¼ g/cup
Water Temp: 212° (boiling)
Steep Time: 3 min.
Company description not available.
This was the last of my black tea samples from Upton. It brewed up strong yet it was not too bold. It was eye-opening and invigorating. As far as CTC teas go, this was a pleasant suprise. Rich and malty and very flavorful.
CTC gets a bad rep because of tea bags.
When you learn the distinction between the assam sub-species of the plant compared to the Chinese sub-species, treating those leaves in the orthodox manner simply isn’t very practical.
Very true
I sometimes hesitate to mention a tea is CTC because I know it immediately gets judged – often unfairly.
Well let’s start to change that. I’ve already waged war on the shou-is-fake-pu-erh snobbery.
Agreed. No prisoners… unless they have tea.
This tea is in small little pellets like grapenuts. It is a bold, robust, and chewy tea with a caramel note at first sip. I was really surprised at this tea. There was no bitterness and a touch of astringency. I got more caramel notes as the tea cooled. Yes, this is a CTC tea but it just amazed me with the taste.
Tea of the morning here, 2/4 of Upton’s assam sampler.
I don’t have a lot of experience with CTC’s aside from knowing they are produced in a different way than orthodox teas so here’s a short primer for the curious: http://t-buds.com/orthodox-vs-ctc-teas-body-vs-flavor/
I steeped this for 3 minutes but might try it for 2 next time. It is definitely a strong assam, bold and malty with a bit of a winey aftertaste and some bitterness too. Definitely a lot better with milk and sugar and very eye opening. Meh, maybe I’m a tea snob but I much prefer the traditional assam leaf.
I have read this is primarily what they use to make chai with in India but traditionally chai is made with a lot of milk.
I had this tea early on when I first really started getting into loose leaf and I could pretty much only drink black tea with cream and honey. I loved this one because its soooo strong. I can only drink it with milk and honey. Many other teas from that time I’ve grown out of, but I do still love this one. On mornings when I need an extra boost, this tea does the trick and then some!
But I’m with you, most CTCs aren’t great.
Thanks for the primer! I really didn’t know what they were, but I definitely have some in my cupboard and they are not my favorites.
This has been my morning tea for a long time. There is absolutely nothing fancy about this. It’s rich, bold, malty and takes (requires) milk and honey well. I haven’t had this in awhile since trying all kinds of new ones, but it was a long night and I needed something extra strong. This is definitely still a favorite, a little bit like coming home.
Update: I forgot how strong this one is caffeine wise. Don’t drink this one without food!
This is the second Assam I am sampling from the Upton sampler set. This tea has a really strong malt base which I appreciate. The aftertaste is a bit astringent. A full, rich, bold, intriguing tea, one I could return to indefinitely for its assertive nature. Even though it has a round, unassumingly smooth base, it’s nevertheless an unapologetic attention-seeker. Good with a little cream and sugar. This is what I think of when I think assam.
Flavors: Biting, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Malt, Smoke, Tart
Tasted three Upton CTCs today. Compared to the Upton CTC BOP Estate Blend Organic (TA15) and Upton Irish Breakfast CTC teas, the granules were much smaller and finer, and darker than the Organic. I tasted all three teas with milk.
The Halmari CTC BOP was watery tasting on the first sip, but with good body. No bitterness. Also, no malt. The watery flavor remained as I sipped it.
(Between the three teas, the Irish Breakfast was my favorite)
