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Lately the heat has been so beastly that I’ve been drinking hot tea only at breakfast (one of my customary Assams) and quaffing gallons of decaf iced tea (made from Trader Joe’s decaf Irish Breakfast, which I just learned is 100 percent Kenya — it pays to read the back of the box!) the rest of the day.

But today when I got home from the supermarket, I was tired from toting bags and damp from a sudden thundershower. And when I looked up at the kitchen clock, it was a little after four. Clearly, it was time for a nice pot of tea. The organic China Black played its role of Perfect Afternoon Tea … well, to a tee! It was comforting and reviving and, with the addition of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, even revealed a hint of chocolatiness that it had never shown me before. (I must also acknowledge the rice cake with peanut butter and the perfectly ripe peach, both of which performed their supporting roles admirably.)

This was a very good teatime indeed!

I received a sample of this from Upton with instructions for brewing it as an iced tea. I did it the “traditional” way, brewing it hot and then mixing the hot brew with a roughly equal amount of cold water and serving it over ice. I used 4 teaspoons of dry leaf, brewed it in 16 ounces of boiling water and then strained it into a thermos and added a teaspoon of stevia to sweeten it. Then I poured it into a pitcher holding two and a half cups of cold water.

This Ceylon is a solid choice for an iced tea — not minty or flowery or super-special in any way, just a good iced tea with plenty of body and some astringency. I realized while drinking my first glass that I neglected to add a squeeze of fresh lemon! I will remedy that situation for Glass No. 2.

Part III: CTC Irish Breakfast Blend vs. Scottish Breakfast Blend

It’s Saturday morning, so it must be time for another round! And in the spirit of the current World Cup games, today’s match is international, pitting Ireland’s finest against the pride of Scotland. The CTC Irish Breakfast Blend is all Assam, while the Scottish Breakfast Blend is a melange of Assam, Ceylon and Yunnan teas.

Dry leaf: The CTC has the characteristic “Grape Nuts” appearance of CTC teas, and a medium brown hue. Like the CTC’s previous competitor, River Shannon, the Scottish Breakfast is an orthodox tea composed of small, broken, brown-black leaves.

As before, the CTC steeped to a rich copper shade, the kind of reddish hue that brightens my mood just looking at it. The Scottish Breakfast yielded a cooler-toned brew with some depth to it. Both stood up well to the addition of almond milk.

On tasting, the CTC’s malty, archetypally Assam flavor came through once again. It was somewhat one-dimensional, but that dimension happens to be the one I’m seeking in my wake-up tea. The Scottish Breakfast was a little bit heartier, and the Yunnan in the blend (not as prominent as in Upton’s Mincing Lane blend) peeked through and added some interest and warmth.

Either of these would start my day in a way that is both comforting and invigorating. Again, the CTC gets the edge for coming closer to my ideal, with its cheerier appearance and extra-malty flavor. It’s the one I would turn to on most mornings, while I might pick the Scottish Breakfast when I needed a slightly stouter ally to gird me for the day ahead.

[See Part I for methodology and explanation of what this is all about.]

Part II: CTC Irish Breakfast Blend (TB12) vs. River Shannon Breakfast Blend (TB20)

First, a look at the dry leaves: The CTC had the “Grape Nuts” appearance common to CTC teas, and a medium brown hue. The River Shannon, an orthodox tea, was composed of small, broken, brown-black leaves.

Both steeped to a rich copper shade, the CTC a tad deeper, and did not get washed out when I added the almond milk.

When tasted, these two proved to be cousins, or perhaps siblings in a very large family. The CTC had a rounded, very malty flavor that reflected its all-Assam composition. The River Shannon’s flavor was slightly more subtle and interesting, and the tea was only slightly less full-bodied. However, subtlety is wasted on me when my eyelids are still at half-mast.

The CTC’s character — simple, malty, bold without bite — gave it the edge for me. The River Shannon would make a tasty, hearty, cheering cup at any time of day, but the CTC is closer to my ideal of an Irish breakfast tea.

What this is all about: I ordered eight different Assams and Assam blends from Upton, with two intentions: 1) Find an Assam that I enjoy enough all by itself to crown it my new favorite morning tea. 2) Identify a suitable replacement for the discontinued Hattiali Estate Assam, a full-bodied BOP that I often blend with the milder, fruitier Banaspaty Estate Assam to make a near-perfect a.m. cup.

Procedure: For each face-off, I brewed two cups of tea, using 6 ounces of boiling water and 2.3 grams of tea, steeping each for the time recommended by Upton (or, in some cases, by the user reviews on their site). I added a splash of unsweetened Almond Breeze almond milk, as is my custom with strong black teas.

Part I: CTC Fine Assam (TA11) vs. Assam CTC BOP Estate Blend Organic (TA15)

The CTC Fine Assam is a powerhouse! I boldly steeped it for four minutes, on the advice of an Upton reviewer who said this would bring out the full flavor. I’m thinking next time I’ll go with the recommended one to two minutes, because at four minutes I found it slightly bitter and throat-numbingly tannic.

The Assam CTC BOP Estate Blend Organic, steeped for the standard three minutes, was much milder, rather a relief after the CTC Fine’s frontal assault on my taste buds. By itself, I would find it enjoyable if not memorable. To be fair, I might have perceived more flavor in it if I had tasted this one first. This was like sipping a delicate pinot noir after drinking a cabernet with lots of backbone — the nuances are sure to get lost.

Result: A draw. The Assam CTC BOP Estate Blend Organic seems too mild-mannered to be my “reveille tea” but would be pleasant as a second cup or at a later hour of the day. The CTC Fine Assam, on the other hand, is one of those archetypal Assams that strides right up, slaps you in the face and yells, “WAKE UP!!!” That’s more aggression than I want on most mornings, but it looks like a good candidate to replace the Hattiali, as it is certainly strong enough to punch up any tea I blend it with (including its opponent in this match). Neither has the maltiness and personality to take the Assam crown by itself.

I’ve just discovered another excellent quality of this tea: Thanks to its natural sweetness, it tastes perfectly delicious “naked,” without any added sweetener or milk. That makes it ideal for the office, where I’m trying to keep my tea drinking as simple and non-time-consuming as possible without sacrificing quality.

I’ve drunk this for a couple of mornings now and am trying to reconcile my impressions with those of my fellow Steepsterites. Somehow I don’t perceive this one as big and bold at all; it brews up a light to medium amber, with some delicate flavor notes. On my first tasting I got a hint of cooked veggies (thank you, Harfatum, for letting me know I’m not hallucinating, although for me it was asparagus rather than Brussels sprouts!), and today I picked up on the bready quality more. Contrary to its name, it doesn’t strike me as super-malty, either. I will continue tasting and exploring this one.

I don’t usually drink my black teas in the evening, but today I made an exception. I hadn’t had any caffeine since breakfast and was really looking forward to a satisfying cup when I got home from work. I chose this reliable tea, and it didn’t disappoint.

I tried my sample this morning and confirmed my impression that the “way into” Yunnan for me is drinking it blended with other varieties (in this case, Assam). The peaty, fuel-source quality was subdued, and gave the blend a warming effect that I appreciated on this unseasonably cold, wet and windy morning … sort of like pouring a half-shot of Laphroaig into a pot of tea.:)

I couldn’t resist breaking into my just-delivered (to my office) Upton order and making a cup of this one with my new Finum brewing basket. The first impression I got was honey, loud and clear, even though I had not added honey or any other sweetener. That honeyed note is staying with me as I drink it, and being joined by a tobacco-y quality that I’m finding quite seductive. I was hoping this might fill the “tasty, affordable everyday tea” niche, and I think it will do so nicely!