36 Tasting Notes

93

The dry leaves are lovely to look at with lots of golden tips. Even smell nice, something I don’t usually notice much with Assam. Once brewed, it has a creamy feel, moderate malt, and something else I couldn’t place at first, but then pecans came to mind. Lovely!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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67

I’ve had this one several Sunday’s in a row now. It is my third TeaGschwendner assam to try out of four. As with the previous ones, this Assam also has a lighter profile. For me, this tea is just OK. For a top tier Assam, it just doesn’t compare to the Mangalam, Nahorhabi, Duflating, or Doomni teas I have been drinking lately. There is nothing really wrong with this tea – it just isn’t very exciting. Mostly just bright tea flavor. For the price, I would much rather have one of the other top tier Assams.

As a side note, I also expected more golden tips for the price of this tea. There were very few. The other thing – I don’t really care for the packaging TeaGschwendner uses. The tea comes in bags that simply crimp over the top – not air tight. I’ve been spoiled by Upton’s packaging.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec
Doug F

I’ve been enjoying a Mangalam from Upton for the past few months. They make some great teas.

Kitty

Yes – me too! Also the one from Harney is very nice

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90

I added a new entry for this as the older entry looked to be for a different year. This is the second tea in my current tour of Upton Ceylon teas. It has some similarities to Upton’s 2011 TC27: New Vithanakande Estate FBOPF Ex. Spl. Some nice chocolate notes that deepen as it cools in the cup. The initial taste also includes a hint of the bright tea flavor I usually associate with Ceylon tea. There might be a hint of spice that Upton mentioned – I’ll have to think about that more.

I made enough for a 16 oz cup, adding a splash of milk but no sweetener. Will be interested to see how it does when I brew a whole pot for our regular breakfast tea. Very nice for my initial tasting.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec
ScottTeaMan

Yes, I love Uptons Tea Bank selections. I ordered some of the 2008 crop and it was over $5 cheaper than the new lot! I don’t know if I want to pay $17+ for a Ceylon tea. Well…..maybe… :)

ScottTeaMan

The older entry listed looks like a different lot from the one I purchased too. Looks like I’ll have to add another entry.

Kitty

Yeah, it is pretty pricey!! It was good though!! Will look for your 2008 review.

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92

Yum. Now that I figured out the right quantity and brewing time, this tea is heavenly. A perfect breakfast tea – very rich with nice chocolate flavor. Great with just a touch of honey and a splash of milk.

Of course, after figuring out how to brew it, I have just a tiny amount left! Hummmmm – will I purchase more? I have a few other Ceylons to try first, but maybe!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec
Doug F

I was thinking about trying this one because I do like Ceylons and think they get ignored in favor of flashier teas. I live only an hour north of Boston so Upton is my primary source (I usually can get my orders the next day!) Thanks for doing the experimentation on this one.

Kitty

Thanks. I really like Upton – they have great selection and customer service. I’m not so sure I like what I think of as that bright Ceylon flavor, but I really liked this tea! FYI – liked your review of the Nepal tea. I’m wondering about the newest one they posted. Never had a tea from Nepal yet.

Doug F

Thanks, I like your tea tastes, so I’ll be interested to see what you’re drinking!

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87

Just received this yesterday. I do wish Golden Moon would call the teas by their proper name (e.g. not just First Flush Darjeeling) and would include the grade of tea as well. This was from their monthly tea club.

It is my second 2011 Darjeeling to taste (first was Upton’s TD57: Margaret’s Hope Estate FTGFOP1 Tippy/Cl First Flush DJ-23). I actually liked this better than Margaret’s Hope although I need to go back and try that one again.

I liked this quite a bit. It reminded me of a nice First Flush Darjeeling I drank for breakfast during my trip to India earlier this year as far as flavor, although this one is a bigger tea. I followed more closely to Upton’s brewing recommendations for the Margaret’s Hope tea, rather than Golden Moon’s recommendation for this one. I used 3 gently rounded tsp to 500ml water in my Breville. The fresh leaves smell sweet like freshly mowed grass (in a good sense). I usually forget to smell the leaves after brewing, but I will say these were a bit stinky so I couldn’t help but smell it.

This is a more full flavored Darjeeling, which is fine with me. I drank it without any additives although I’m thinking it might do just fine with a splash of milk and a touch of honey. I can perhaps see just the beginning of a pineapple hint – it is not real obvious. I liked this one quite a bit and look forward to trying it again. I was drinking this one right after doing yoga, so didn’t do the best with tasting notes.

Golden Moon recommends 2 minutes brewing time on this, saying it will get quite astringent with longer brewing. I brewed for 3 minutes and did not find it all that astringent.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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92

This one has been very interesting. We like our tea strong. For assams, that is usually 2 lightly rounded teaspoons per cup, brewing time either 4.5 or 5 minutes. I started at that with this tea, brewing for 5 minutes, initially just making a single 16 oz cup for me. That was my initial tasting note, and I was very impressed. But then I tried making a pot for my hubby and I to share, using the same time and measurements. It was not very good. Second time tried it again, still 2 gently rounded tsp/cup to the pot, but this time 4.5 minutes. Yuck – bitter chocolate :( I like chocolate in my tea, but this was not the bittersweet chocolate in some assams – just bitter. Blah. Yuck. Tried adding a little honey, but that seemed to make it worse. Was thinking maybe I didn’t like this tea as much after all. But gave it one more try, this time reducing the tea just slightly – and wow. It was excellent!! Rich chocolate – even better with that touch of honey. Oh, and I use milk as well.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

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90

Had this tea again this morning. Still at 5 minutes brewing, 212, and 2 tsp/cup. Wow, no bitterness, just a wonderful rich malty tea. It actually starts out a bit weak but expands as the tea cools. I add a very small amount of honey to accent the malt and a splash of milk. What a sweet, rich tea. Pure joy as a breakfast tea.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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82
drank Assam Marangi by TeaGschwendner
36 tasting notes

I just finished the last of this one. I was kind of wishy-washy on this tea. It did kind of grow on me over time, and I did finish the 250gm pouch, but as I ask myself whether I would purchase this tea again, the answer is ‘no’. It has a nice nutty bright tea flavor and might be a good option for those that don’t like the bigger assams.

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90

What a lovely tea. I’ve been drinking this once a week for a while now. In fact, this is I think my second tin. It’s interesting as I think I like the second tin more than the first, but perhaps I remember wrong since there was a little break between them.

We brew it strong at 2 tsp/cup and at 5 minutes there is no bitterness. The first few sips while it is very hot it seems bland, but as it cools in my 16 oz cup it unfolds nicely. I use a touch of honey to accent the flavors, and a splash of milk. There is wonderful malt, a little cocoa and I think a touch of caramel.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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92

OK….So perhaps I do like Ceylon!! All the richness I was missing in my two tastings of Golden Moon Sinharaja is there with this tea. I believe both are from the same region, although the leaf style is very different. And the Upton selection is much more expensive. From the New Vithanakande web page it appears that this is their top grade tea.

There is definitely a rich. toasty, dusty cocoa flavor. Perhaps a touch of molasses. I’m drinking it with milk and it handles it quite well. This one has lots of yum factor. Excellent!!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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