Tea: Gold Leaf Tea
A Ceylon Black Tea from Akbar
Brand: | Akbar |
Style: | Ceylon Black Tea |
Region: | Sri Lanka / Ceylon |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Loose? | Loose |
# Ratings: | 1 View All |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1452 teas reviewed
✓ 45 of Ceylon Black Tea
✓ 500 of Black Tea
✓ 1 of Akbar
✓ 68 from Sri Lanka / Ceylon
Review of Gold Leaf Tea
January 15th, 2020
Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
9 of 10 | 5 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 90 of 100 |
Superb | Excellent | Outstanding |
I was astonished by this tea's quality as well as value for its price. One of my friends recently bought this from a Russian market, and he had only recently opened the container so it was very fresh.
The dry leaf though is explosively aromatic. This is by far the most aromatic Ceylon black tea I've ever found in this price range. The smell is strong, fresh, and sharp, with floral notes, yet suggesting a tea with strength and depth.
My friend was generous enough to give me quite a bit of this so I was able to brew it multiple times, and I was really impressed. It is easy to brew. The leaf is finely broken and infuses relatively quickly on the first steep, but it also resteeps well.
Produces a rich, dark brown cup that has a moderate astringency and a powerful aroma that is strongly toasty, with a malty background and a hint of floral notes. Flavor is balanced: there is a pleasant bitterness and the cup also has a strong savory quality.
Really unparalleled. This is the type of quality that I expect from artisan teas, not a large tin bought for a reasonable price in a typical retail store. I highly recommend this if you see it for sale. Unfortunately, in the U.S., it is not widely available, but you can buy it on Amazon for a reasonable price (although check the specific page, sometimes the price is more reasonable than others because it is sporadically available, currently 450g are selling for under $13 and that's a fantastic price, but I've also seen it selling for many multiples of that price, which is not a good deal.)