Yet another high-quality loose-leaf tea from Ahmad, for a very reasonable price. I was surprised that Ahmad sells this alongside their Kalami Assam, which is a whole-leaf tea in a similar price range. This tea was very different, so I can understand how they'd carry both, but I didn't like it as much.

The cup has a very dark color and has a slightly malty character, some cocoa-like tones, and a bit of fruitiness. Pretty typical for an Assam, significantly less aromatic than the best teas though.

Ahmad recommends an 8 minute infusion, but this comes out very strong, and too bitter and astringent for me. This tea infuses slower than expected for broken-leaf, but not that slow. I prefer a 3-5 minute infusion.

Although I thought this was a solid tea and I'd gladly recommend it, I preferred all the other loose-leaf offerings from Ahmad Tea. I particularly recommend the Ceylon Tea or the Kalami Assam, but the Ceylon OPA was more similar to this one and I also preferred that tea--similarly dark, with more of the cocoa tones, and less astringency and bitterness.

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