Tea: Kalami Assam Indian Tea
Brand: | Ahmad Tea |
Style: | Assam |
Region: | Assam, India |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Loose? | Loose |
# Ratings: | 7 View All |
Product page: | Kalami Assam Indian Tea |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1452 teas reviewed
✓ 71 of Assam
✓ 500 of Black Tea
✓ 19 of Ahmad Tea
✓ 91 from Assam, India
✓ 209 from India
Review of Kalami Assam Indian Tea
October 20th, 2011
Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
9 of 10 | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 83 of 100 |
Superb | Good | Outstanding |
This is a regular favorite for me. I'm most likely to drink it in a cold morning, but I enjoy it at all times of year.
This tea offers extraordinary quality for its price! I bought a pound of it for $6.15 at a middle-eastern grocery store. It is large pieces of broken leaves.
Dry leaf has a rich and complex aroma: malty, spicy, herbaceous, and floral. Has a strong warming quality.
Ahmad recommends a very long steeping time, 8 minutes, and after considerable experimentation, I find I agree with them. This tea is very slow to infuse and loses much of its complexity if only brewed for 3-4 minutes.
Brewed for 8 minutes, aroma is very complex: there is some of the typical Assam maltiness, but many other qualities as well. A hint of rice, suggestive of high-grown Ceylons, and suggestions of dried fruit, reminiscent of a Keemun.
Flavor is also complex: significantly sweet, but also significantly bitter, somewhat sour, and savory as well. Fairly astringent on the palate. Very full-bodied.
If brewed for only 3-4 minutes, this tea is considerably lighter in body and less astringent, and the aroma is much less complex, but it is still enjoyable.
If you paid more, you could probably get a smoother tea, with similar qualities and much less astringency. But this tea is delightful to drink. If you want a budget tea that is top-notch for its price, this one is the way to go.