A subdued but rather strange Assam tea, muted in flavor and with a few off qualities.

This tea was kind of fascinating to review because I just tried a tea of a higher grade, from the same estate, from a different company, Simpson & Vail. I was surprised at how different the teas were. The difference of adding that "F", from TFGOP1 to FTFGOP1, nearly quadruples the price, but also adds some sublime characteristics that were missing from this cheaper tea.

The leaf is deep and dark, much more aromatic than Simpson & Vail's tea, and smells mostly malty, very pleasing. There is noticeably less golden tip than in S&V's batch, and the leaf looks less curly.

The cup however was pleasant but less interesting. Upton describes "hints of red wine" and I can see that, but only if I look for it. I found this a smooth, easy-to-drink black tea that was slightly forgettable. The aroma of the brewed cup was not as strong as I expected from the wonderfully fragrant leaf. A few of the aromatic notes were slightly Darjeeling-like, but not in a good way...I don't know exactly how to describe it but it was a slightly unpleasant fruity quality with some skunky notes.

Resteeps very well, even when using a 4 minute first steep. The second cup was very similar to the first: medium-bodied, smooth, only subtly aromatic. I almost prefer the second cup to the first, although it had a slight metallic aftertaste that I could do without.

A good tea, for a good price. I am still surprised at how different this was from the FTFGOP1 grade...I really liked both teas though. Which tea offers better value? I normally tend to like cheaper teas but I think in this case I may actually prefer the higher grade and think it's worth more paying for.

Add your own review

Comments:

ajay wrote: on August 21st, 2018

I am agree with you. Actually Assam's tea smell is very melty and pleasuring but i don't really know about Darjeeling tea. Through your article i do able to know about Darjeeling tea....So thank you sir. Though today Assam is the highest producer of Tea in India but the land is facing a lot of problems in Tea producing. Will you please write an article on tea production in assam and its crisis

Login or Sign Up to comment or reply.