ORGANIC ASSAM
(Organic Estate Black Tea)
Country of Origin: India
Grade: TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange
Pekoe)
Altitude: Up to 1500' feet above sea level
Cup Characteristics: Tippy and flavorful with superb astringency
and full on 2nd flush jammy profile.Expansive malt
character with milk
Infusion: Bright and tending coppery.
Ingredients: Luxury organic black tea
Organic Credentials: The Green Hill Tea Corp
Certified Organic by QMI Organic Inc.
Certificate #: 150 - 2008
Information:
While you wait for your kettle to boil, we thought we should
take a moment to help you prepare for an amazing cup of tea. This reason is that this Organic Assam Estate TGFOP ranks among
the finest black teas on the market. As such, it possesses all the nuance and depth of a fine wine. In short, we felt
it deserved a little respect.
Ok, to start with here a few terms
with which anyone about to enjoy one of the world's finest teas should become familiar. First, some of the good qualities
to look for: Croppy: No, this doesn't mean it was produced by men with bowl-cut hairdos. Croppy
is a tasting term that describes much sought after bright creamy liquor. Most high quality second flush Assams usually
display this characteristic. Brisk: Otherwise known as the ooh-la-la factor - a tea with a lively
vivacious flavor. Biscuity: A term professional tasters use to describe a well-fired Assam -
perfect temperature + perfect timing = Biscuity! (It should here be noted that all good Assam teas pair well with
biscuits of almost any variety.)
Ok, next, a couple of things
to beware of: Bakey: Not to be confused with Biscuity. Bakey tea is the result
of over-firing at a higher than desirable temperature. (It should be noted that Bakey teas do not pair well with
biscuits.) Burnt: As you can well imagine, Burnt is even worse than Bakey. It
is the tragic result of severe over-firing.
So, now we've
established some rudimentary tasting terms to help you enjoy this tea. To reiterate, Croppy, Brisk and Biscuity - good.
Bakey and burnt - bad. By now your kettle should be nice and hot. Infuse your tea. (Pause 3 - 5 minutes.) Strain. Add a
dash of milk. Savor every organic sip. Mmm...it's croppy! Mmm...it's brisk! Mmm...it's biscuity! Give this
tea the respect it deserves!
Hot tea brewing method:
Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. Pour the
boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the
stronger the tea). Even though milk and a dash of sugar help enhance the flavor character on this tea, it is perfectly
acceptable to consume this tea ‘straight-up'
Iced
tea-brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher.
Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water.
Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and
sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will
be poured over ice and diluted with cold water]. Please note that this tea may tend to go cloudy or ‘milky'
when poured over ice; a perfectly normal characteristic of some high quality black teas and nothing to worry about!
