Ahmad Tea

My brain was too overworked and tired for brewing anything requiring thinking. This one never lets me down. Drank all day long.

Any one know what the difference between the tins with silver lids and the ones with green lids? Local only sells the green.

Blueberry bagels, cream cheese, and Earl Grey – enough said :)

Don’t care if others think this is pedestrian. Until I try something I like better this is my EG of choice.

Haven’t logged anything in a couple days. This cold is kicking my butt and all my reviews have been whiney, so I didn’t add them. I needed my comfort tea today. I poured the water into the press and got detained for about six minutes. At three minutes this is perfect. At six, the tea turns bitter and the bergamot becomes perfumey with a high pucker factor. Yeah, I’m still whining.

I love the smell of the dry leaf and am always amazed that it doesn’t overpower the cup. A co-worker also brewed a cup this morning. He said he wouldn’t throw it out but preferred his Twinings. From his description, the best I can tell is he does not like Ceylon tea and does not want to taste the tea base. Interesting how different individual perceptions can be.

Breakfast tea of the day. I have a drawer full of tea samples and a couple bigger tins but not a single leaf, not even a tea bag, of a black Earl Grey. So to remedy the sad situation I grabbed a tin of this yesterday. I have always liked Ahmad’s take on this classic. The bergamot is citrus/orange not flowery. It is the main flavor but does not overpower the smooth Ceylon base. No bitterness. A good solid basic comfort cup. Similar in taste and quality to Twinings but the bergamot is a little less intense and the base a bit tastier.

It has a slight hint of bergamont. Very smooth and soothing.

Have not tried the bagged version, but the loose leaf is excellent. One of my favorite Earl Greys!

1 scoop leaf + 12oz boiling water + 3 minutes = a cheapster Steepster mug of joy. Light bergamot and a solid black base. This is a good one.

Ahmad is my favorite bargain brand. A 100g tin is around $6. Some of their varieties can be found in a one pound box for less that $7. The bargain price isn’t important if it isn’t drinkable. This is actually quite pleasant. Enough bergamot to satisfy without overpowering. Not Earl Grey but closer than a lot of teas claiming the name that cost a whole lot more. Been craving their Darjeeling lately. Guess I need to clear a spot in my drawer.

I thought I would start today by going another steep with yesterday’s leaf. I really expected a lifeless cup that I would pour out after a few drinks. This is the 3rd steep of an inexpensive tea. Steeped 6 minutes with boiling water. When the cup is really hot it is a bit bland, but when the cup cools the flavor jumps out. It isn’t as bold as yesterday but then my first steep was way too long (4 minutes). I think if you keep the first cup at 3 minutes or less all three steeps would be pretty even. Ahmad is a champion at inexpensive blends. Worthy of a try.

It has been years since I’ve had this tea. I used to drink it in bag form. A co-worker brought in a loose leaf tin today. The dry leaf smells exquisite. There is a light touch of bergamot. I steeped about 2g of leaf for 4 minutes with boiling water. The wet leaf is fresh looking small torn pieces. There is a lot of green in the leaf which I am not used to seeing in a black tea. The aroma is leafy with fruity notes – like wine – and bergamot, though this is not an earl grey. The sip has a slight bite, and leaves a dry mouth feel, followed by a fruity aftertaste. I think a shorter brew time would be better. Second cup I steeped 3 minutes. Yep, shorter steep did the trick. This is a really delightful cup that changes character nicely as it cools. About the price of Twinings but I think this is a more refined cup. As I recall, Ahmad Darjeeling was also very nice.

Exceptionally good for how cheap it is! This is a strong, edgy Assam with good complexity. Loose-leaf with large pieces of broken leaves. I picked up a pound of it at a local middle-eastern store for $6.15, and I love it.

I have to steep this in for a little while,, and add a tsp of sugar but wow!! It’s so lovely… I was expecting it to be murky water but no!!! The cinnamon is in there and rooibos is so lovely. It actually reminds me of a the thai chai tea. I think I have to buy more rooibos.. plus this is definitely going in my shopping list.. I LOVE LOVE IT..

I was surprised at the flavor here. Usually fruity teas don’t seem to have much flavor. There was a nice black currant taste here. Otherwise, a mild black tea base.

This is a basic but still delicious Earl Grey. The bergamot flavor isn’t too overwhelming, which is a problem I have with some Earl Greys, and overall the taste is smooth and inoffensive.

This is just okay. It’s a pretty basic black with a slight vanilla after taste. Even after steeping it longer than directed, the vanilla flavor didn’t get any stronger. Next time, I’ll try using Vanilla Silk instead of milk and see how that improves it.