Kusha

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Recent Tasting Notes

50

I would appreciate further information on the proper steeping of this tea. For this, both amounts and times, and preferably, water temperature are required. I did a first test of a short steep ( 2 min) of a slightly rounded tablespoon, with water at about 205 F, and found the tea overly strong. I would like to understand if this is a taste issue, or if the steep time and portion of tea were misdone. I would also like to know how it is typically served, in terms of milk, sweetening, citrus, etc. Thank you.

(Having been properly briefed on the typical mistakes made in brewing different type of teas by Lalith Guy Paranavitana, who I believe was Ceylonese, and a former plantation owner — former owner of Columbus Inn Tea Room, in Columbus, Indiana, now running www.teatemptations.com — I am aware that each tea has a distinctive process en route to a proper, good cup of tea.)

Preparation
0 OZ / 0 ML

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drank Shahrzad Indian Kalami by Kusha
807 tasting notes

This tea was given to me by a client who is from India. She told me this IS in fact the tea they use to make chai. I have since sent it to a trade buddy who loves Indian black tea.

Scott B

A friend of mine just recently told me her Indian ex-in-laws used to make chai with a cardamom pod or two and a Lipton tea bag!

Azzrian

LOL are you serious! Well I guess even in India people take the easy way out!

Scott B

I guess so. I have been told that the most popular coffee in Turkey is not Turkish Coffee, but Nescafe.

Azzrian

LOL maybe my client was BSing me :)

Scott B

I guess it’s an Assam-which I thought was usually used to make Masala Chai.

Azzrian

Yup with the right Masala spices which she also gave me a couple of packs of. Great for a meat rub too.

LiberTEAS

The thing is that every chai wallah uses their own recipe to make chai, so it isn’t reliant upon any one particular tea brand. Most traditional chai blends use Assam, but even that isn’t the only chai used to make a chai blend, as some use Nilgiri instead, and still others use Ceylon.

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74

A mid-stiff brown black assam, inexpensive from the local middle eastern grocery.
Good on a (Florida) winter rainy day.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

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79

This is a basic strong black tea, not too bitter. It tastes very “Indian” to me, if I can describe it like that, especially mixed with hot milk. It could easily make an excellent, authentic-tasting masala tea or chai. In the box it is a lightly-smelling long leaf black tea.

“Kalami” is, according to my 5 minute google research, an Indian term for long-leaf or whole-leaf Assam tea. It’s intended for Middle Eastern markets. Kalami is opposed to barooti, which is broken-leaf Assam.

Did I mention it came buy-one-get-one so I now have 800g (nearly two pounds) of it? I’m thinking of giving away a box to a friend. Or just making tons of chai by the pitcher for the next year!

Preparation
4 min, 0 sec
edu970

Hai there, i,am looking for this tea in europe but can,t find it ,I used to buy it in Germany they don’t sell it anymore.pls give me if possible a hint were I can find it.thanks, regards edu

Christopher Doherty

The local store is selling it on clearance, buy one get one free. I could ship it I suppose! But that might be prohibitively expensive from the USA. Also I really don’t know how old this tea is.

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