Tiger Assam

I’d been wanting to try this one for a good long time, so huge thanks to Angrboda for sharing this with me!

This is a big, bold, beautiful cup. It’s beautifully malty, with a really distinctive assam flavour — there’s no mistaking this one! I was half expecting it to be a bit astringent and rough around the edges, but it’s not like that at all. It’s not perfectly smooth in the honeyed way that some teas have, but it’s pretty typical for an assam. There’s certainly plenty of flavour, and it’s wonderfully suited to my big tea mug, brewed long and strong, and with a splash of milk added. I can’t say I’ve enjoyed another assam quite as much as this one for a good long time!

This is a good, thick Assam with a definite bite. Semi-lame-ish tasting note as I am home late. I had this at work and actually did jot down some notes but left them there. I don’t honestly think they were much more complicated than this, though. :) I do remember that I didn’t steep for longer than 3 minutes. I think at 4, as recommended, it might have been a bit harsh for me.

I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to keep this in my stash, but I wouldn’t turn it down if someone gave me some. And someone did with this sample. :) Thanks, Sil!!

I have been reading review after review about this tea and so I decided to break into my tea box from Cavocorax and try it out. I have been hesitant as it is not a dessert, over-the-top flavor tea I am used to and I was worried I would not be a fan. At the same time, I have noticed my tastes changing towards simpler teas on occasion so I thought I might finally be ready. Unfortunately, I don’t think I am quite at that point in my tea love where I can truly appreciate a nice, straight black tea as I am not finding the appeal of this cup no matter how hard I look for the flavors that everyone loves. Maybe in the future my tastes will evolve more and this will become a favorite but for now it is just not for me. Thank you Cavorcorax for sending me a sample but alas I think it was wasted on me.

I drank a vanilla latte this morning instead of my usual double cup of chai tea. I might as well not have had any caffeine at all for as tired as I feel. So, I do believe…it’s tea time!! Thanks to JustJames for the sample. :)

I chose this one because it’s described as, “Tigers don’t tolerate weak tea, nor should you.” LOL! Okay, this stuff is the bomb. I’m working from home today, and I just got a call from a coworker who was having trouble with an assignment. It’s wicked hard to troubleshoot over the phone, especially when the person says they’ve done what you’ve told them to when they really haven’t. I finally finished the call and, by then, the tea was cool enough to drink.

RAWR!!! This tea makes me want to roar like a tiger! LOL! Sorry, I’m just so glad to have a nice cup of tea in my paws…err, hands. Yum! I even drank it sans additions! O_O This stuff is GRRRRRRREAT! (Okay, that’s all the tiger puns I can think of). :P

And now just for fun, some pictures of my kitty sleeping:
http://instagram.com/p/c7DfiMl-nE/
http://instagram.com/p/c7D1gul-nx/
http://instagram.com/p/c7E8uKF-p2/

I finally have a little bit of time to catch up on reading others’ Steepster notes. Casey and I had this one tonight with our Tofurkey pizza with chipotle sauce. Pretty tasty.

Backlogged from memory as I had this a few days ago late at night (yes I am nuts) and forgot to log it then. I always feel so sad when I don’t give a tea its proper due in my logs due to timing of things; I was sifting through my cupboard and kept going “I haven’t logged that one?!” to the point it’d be quite a project to backlog all of them, ack.

But anyway. This was delicious, as I’ve come to expect from A&D. My tea buddy loves it and has been saying so for like over a month now, but I had this block where I didn’t want to open the tin, feel like I need to sip down stuff that isn’t packaged so well to begin with. But it was calling to me last Friday or whenever it was, and I’m glad I gave in. So good. I can’t get into specifics right now alas, but hopefully next time I drink it at a more decent hour. I will say it’s unbelievably smooth while being bold, much like my beloved Double Knit (probably bolder, with a sharper/deeper flavor though). Definitely one of the best straight assams I’ve had, maybe even THE best. Given Mount Gray’s been the only disappointing A&D tea for me, looks like I know now which combo pack to get when/if (since there’s so much!) I ever restock. I’ve been a little curious about blending my own chai and if/when I try that I might use this as the base, both because it’s so smooth and strong and delicious and because I have plenty of it to mess around with.

I have so much updating to do! But I just moved house, and everything is very hectic, so I haven’t been taking the time with my tea that I’d like to. I joined the Verdant Reserve Club for February and haven’t touched the teas yet, because I’ve had no time to do it propery :(

So, today at least I had some Tiger Assam at the office – strong, but not fussy. I kept the first steep to 4 minutes, with milk and sugar. The second I just let sit for awhile, and it’s perfect for drinking straight. Strong rounded flavor, slightly sweet but also astringent enough to make you sit up and take notice.

After tomorrow I should have internet at the new place :P and can log all the tea I drink during this snowstorm we’re supposed to get…

Putting some serious work into getting through the wonderful samples that Terri sent me a while back.
This is a good, solid Assam, on the more aggressive side of Assam – so milk-and-sugar it, or lemon it, or mint it, or whatever – it can take what you throw at it with ease.
I wouldn’t drink it on an empty stomach or in the afternoon, but as a morning tea with breakfast, it would probably do the trick of getting you up and running out the door, all charged up.
I personally prefer more gentle, tame Assams, so I will probably won’t purchase a batch of this. If you like strong teas, do give this a try.
Also, I completely broke down and placed another purchase with Norbu – this time of a she pu’er that I’ve been eyeing for a while, as well as of an interesting Taiwan black, and the Taiwan white tea that I’ve been wanting to try for a while, after seeing a raving review of it on teaviews. I will now be an evil enabler and let you know that there’s still 25% on your entire basket at norbutea.com until the 31st.
running away, rubbing my hands with glee

I splurged and ordered from Andrews & Dunham a few weeks ago when they were offering free shipping. I just couldn’t pass it up! Anyway, this tea is smooth, delicious and is like a punch to the face (y’know, in a good way).

I like this tea. It screams BREAKFAST!

Assams are my favorite, and this is a decent one. It doesn’t knock my socks off, but it is nice. No major flavor notes jump out. It smells good. It gets tart as it cools and didn’t resteep worth a damn. I’ve had equally good ones at a lower price from upton, so I don’t think I’ll reorder (unless it grows on me which happens), but I will enjoy this big purty can of nice dark tea.