Eat Free or Die! » Blog Archive » Tea Tales: Assam Teas, Part I

Tea Tales: Assam Teas, Part I

Posted: Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 by Rob

The summer heat is going the way of the summer sun, which to me always signals a transition to drinking more tea as opposed to coffee. I drink coffee all year ’round, but more so when it’s warmer. Tea is a calming fall and winter ritual – dried leaves invoking those scattered about by autumn winds, the boiling of water in the kettle and the aromatic brew in the pot. Tea invokes comfort. While summer’s activity goes well with coffee’s rush, longer nights and slower paces require a more gentle touch. So, with this in mind, I ordered up a whole box full of tea samples in preparation for placing my winter orders.

The first set I’m going to look at consists of eight teas from the Assam region of India, which I’ll be dividing into two tastings. Assam teas are made from a variety of Camelia sinensis native to the area (var. assamica), and are characterized by their dark color, rich body, and round malty flavors. Also, unlike many other teas, Assams are typically grown at or near sea level instead of on elevated hillsides. This contributes to their deep flavors and assertive character. My current gold standard for Assam is the currently unavailable TGFOP leaf from the Singlijan tea estate – rich, smooth, malty, and complex, with fruit, cocoa, and citrus notes. If it doesn’t become available again, I’ll be very sad when I’m out. So, I’m looking for its replacement in my tea chest.

My tasting method: Tea is measured out at 2.5g to each 6 oz. of water. Black teas are brewed with water at a full boil, oolongs at 185-190°F, green teas at 170-180°F, and white teas no hotter than 160°F. Brewing times are slightly shorter than those recommended by the vendor in most cases, as the tea is brewed in a 12-ounce iron tetsubin-style pot that allows for a much more thorough extraction than an infuser or tea ball. The liquor is initially tasted plain, then sweetened with white table sugar in the case of Indian black teas. I don’t normally take milk in my tea, so I don’t sample it that way.

Borpatra Estate STGFOP1S

Dry Aroma: herbal/floral
Brewed Aroma: green herbal, leathery, malt husk
Flavor: bright, slightly tannic, lightly floral (chrysanthemum/daisy)
Sweetened: enhances floral components
Body: smooth, medium weight
Color: dark amber / copper

Pleasant enough, but to my palate lacks the body and depth characteristic of Assam teas. Brewed with water off the boil for 4.5 minutes. Brewing longer would enhance the tannic astringency that’s starting to show here, perhaps this needs a slightly lower temp along with longer extraction. Rating: 3½ out of 5.

Duflating TGBOP

Dry Aroma: malty, fruity, earthy
Brewed Aroma: Slightly sweet, malty, woody/earthy
Flavor: earthy, malty, hints of cocoa and molasses
Sweetened: more cocoa/malt flavors
Body: full, balanced
Color: reddish-brown

Brewing time: 4 minutes. Thick mouthfeel and full bodied with an earthy finish and balanced tannin. Probably very good with a splash of milk, if you take it that way. Interesting woody/cocoa/nutty elements. Not what I’m searching for, but not bad. Has some complexity, which is nice. Rating: 4 out of 5.

Harmutty Estate TGFOP(S)

Dry Aroma: light, floral, fruity
Brewed Aroma: floral, vanilla, malt husk
Flavor: wood, earth, light vanilla
Sweetened: slightly vanilla/caramel with a hint of the floral elements from the dry leaf
Body: thin, unsatisfying
Color: deep copper

Brewing time: 4.5 minutes. Disappointing tea. Slightly malty, both mostly woody and earthy. Kinda bland and neutral, and what flavors are present are muddy. The vanilla notes are interesting, but not enough to rescue an otherwise uninspired brew. Rating: 3 out of 5.

Marangi Estate FTGFOP1

Dry Aroma: malty and spicy
Brewed Aroma: vanilla, spice, cinnamon/caramel, very appealing
Flavor: deep, vanilla, cinnamon-spice, dark malt (like porter or dry stout)
Sweetened: More caramel and malt flavors, sweet spice accented
Body: very full, mouthfilling
Color: dark brown

Brewing time: 4.5 minutes. Very interesting tea, with an incredibly appealing spicy aroma. Pleasant rich, dark, delicious flavors both plain and sweetened. Would hold up very well to milk, and one of the few teas I might actually get around to trying that way. Would be a great breakfast tea as a substitute for coffee. This is a tea where you can really mentally appreciate the classic image of the Englishman with his pipe and teacup (I’m actually enjoying it with some aged matured Virginia in a 4-dot bent Sasieni). The only fault is a slight lack of complexity. Rating: 4½ out of 5.

No new Gold Standard in this round, but one really solid performer and another offering that’s interesting. Assams are hearty workaday teas, so finding exceptional samples isn’t easy. Really good Assams are diamonds in the rough.