You may remember Assam from the Ty-phoo review (that
rhymes…) so I won’t rehash that too much.
Assam is generally the second most esteemed tea after Darjeeling, and is
also named for the region it’s grown in.
Assam has its own distinctive taste and quality, a somewhat more “malty”
aspect.
I picked up a bit of loose Assam from the Dejoo Estate (note
that the tea schedule didn’t list it as a 1st or 2nd
flush or give a grading, but did note the growing estate – if you Google up
“Dejoo estate” you will see some STGFOP1 grade available).
As I mentioned with Ty-phoo, I particularly like Assam for
breakfast, but it’s a good anytime tea. I
brewed up a pot of this Assam for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning to have
with a bit of bacon and cinnamon toast.
I only brewed it for several minutes to be on the safe side, but halfway
through the first cup I decided to pop the leaves back in for a bit. Assam generally stands up to a much longer
brew (or maybe it’s just me who likes it like that) and I usually brew my
Ty-phoo for as much as 10 minutes.
Loose-leaf Assam in cloth bag at Cafe Moulin. |
Some weeks ago I was out and about, and after a good, long
wander on a chilly, damp day, I decided to pop into a little creperie in my favorite
neighborhood. I went for a smoked salmon
crepe an
d noticed that their menu had an Assam on offer. You very rarely see specific teas like Assam
listed in restaurants around here (even the British pub and chippy just does a
basic bagged selection of Lipton, Twinings, and such). So I took them up on it and it was
awesome! They brew loose leaf in muslin
bags (which you can get from tea suppliers if you’re so inclined).
Because you can brew it longer for a bolder (yet still
smooth and not bitter) taste, Assam is a good high quality tea to start out
with (you can’t botch it). It also goes
fine with pretty much everything, from toast and bacon to smoked salmon crepes
and your afternoon tea sandwiches and sweeties as well.
Very nice versatile tea.
10/10 here.
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