TGFOP Tea Reviews (c) Silverneedles est.2005

Assam Finest .Tavalon Tea Bar

Tavalon Tea Bar

12oz $2.5 …5 minutes like they said…

gonna get right to it: very astringent. wow. that was some slap on my tongue. really, i just could not take it too much… couple sips i threw it away. i confess, i am a little baby. i rather more preferred the other black i tried there – yunnan.
Either thats how its done, and i dont like it, or was steeped too long,

either way, they should have suggested some milk or sugar when i got it. (at least for the people who dont know what assam is).

Assam Brahmaputra STGFOP .Dobra Tea

Dobra Tea ~$2.5 /oz

4min 190F 8oz 1’tbsp’ dispenser (blk one)
mild* assam flavor*, malty*, caramely *
astringency

*I dont remember the exact flavor and astringency levels of the assams i had -which did not get more of since going the chinese tea route discovered teas with low astringency allowing more pleasant cups of tea- so i dont know exactly how mild the flavor is in this one, thus i am unable to give it a fair rating….

ah who am i kidding, i’m not the tea oscars judge: –> 4/7 dont like astringency, might be put down with some sugar & milk which i’ll try next!

English Tea Time .Bigelow Tea

tbags

ok 1/2 cup water, 3 min or more

flavor assamy with some minor ceylonish flavor ,

not bad: 3/7 , low astringency

Gold tip assam .The Coffee Bean

at The Coffee Bean

loose leaf bagged & infused in store

flavor: pretty strong flavor, assam regular malty, astringency quickly follows extra time spent in the hot water,
some throat dryness from the tannins – i did not mind , am familiar with the feeling.

dont remember any sweetness in aftertaste tho…

Awake Black Tea .Tazo

‘blend of assam and ceylon’

thats what i was going to say. tastes like assam and some ceylon, but the flavor is not very strong, im not really feeling any love from this tea… i guess it knows something….

flavor: 2/7

get again: NO. ! 😛

English Tea No. 1 .Ahmad Tea

found some tea bags of this in a drawer.

did about 5 min infusion. flavor: 2/7, astringent 4/7

tastes like an assam (kinda like taj mahal) mixed i think with a little bit of bergamot(speculation).

didnt enjoy that so dropped some sugar, astringency mellowed to 2.5-3/7 taste became smoother, but i just dont like it.

tried to like it, but dont. no.

Yorkshire Tea .Taylors of Harrogate

supermarket ~$3?

i think an assam tea (dont detect any other blends) + some bitter astringency.

there is some kinda bitter fruity aftertaste – sort of orange peel?.

for some reason i’m getting tired of assams… they’re so plain, round, nothing exciting to discover in their taste.

no.

Taj Mahal .Brooke Bond

Package: box of 100bags $4.99/7oz/200g ($ 11/lb),(they also have a bigger box, and box of loose tea).

‘Brooke Bond* since 1869′ distributed by Unilever* (i thought they make detergent, ok, their website-vestigating i see they have the brand Lipton* also… Vaseline* ;..(^_^ )…mmmm….vaseline*

(*all trademarks, copyrighted names and images are property of their owner, and all that shit. don’t sue me for writing about your bland tea).(except the picture, i took it… so… its mine !, if i catch yous copy’d my pictures without permission, i will sue yous for 1gigabillion rupees)

‘an exclusive blend of teas …from the finest gardens of Assam… blah blah..
…to ensure…freshness…in each and every cup.’

if they wanted to ensure freshness in every cup, they should have invested some R&D into better packaging… this is the box of 100 teabags …entire big large side is the cover which opens = lots of exposure to air.

update:

1bag/8oz cup, 3 min. me no like it.

2bags/ 10oz cup, 3 min. even without agitation its fairly astringent and some bitterness.

Method: 1bag/4min boiling water, 10oz cup.

Taste: ok, some maltiness, low bitterness (it feels like it could go for 5min without bittering). taste is pretty much similar to the CTC bag Mamri (but the Mamri has a funky flavor that i don’t like). this Taj M is just basic maltiness, no extra nothing.

they feel like an everyday tea kind of thing…something ok, nothing exciting.

the bag factor is convenient…for the lazy, like me.

Overall: ‘verdict’ …. i’ll just keep it till it runs out. but in the end… dont like it.

My preference now stands at: Taj Mahal < PG Tips < Yorkshire Gold

Assam CTC .Mamri

got this at the local indian specialty store (New India Sweets and Spices)

$2.99 /14oz /’400’g ($3.41/lb) :O (thats some cheap tea)

its an assam CTC ‘strong Mamri tea improved blend, flower upper assam tea’. product of india.
i think its sold to make chai, since they have some instructions on the back ‘how to prepare best Indian Chai’
1 tsp, dropped cup of boiling water over it, 3min.

smell: it has a bit of smell cant identify it.

taste: good, ok, minimal bitternes, some astringency. feels like its missing something… sugar, or spices…

kinda tastes like the Brooke Bond Taj Mahal…

07-05-06: did some 5 cups , 1tsp @ 4min , into one big bottle.
taste: malty 4/7, astringency 4/7, bitter 1/6 (how’s my scale?). well, its a bit more astringent than malty, and it has an extra funky-ness i dont really like, like some sort of food flavor?…(… it feels like a funky flavor in the other ceylon i got -the earl grey ceylon…the vithanakanda does not have this. )

i just infused a new cup this morning and poured lots of sugar, hoping for some breakfast maltiness, but that funky taste remains a bugger, a bummer… not enjoying it… i’m going to try it a couple more times, if no different… i may have to toss it.

NO. //–> get Brooke Bond Taj Mahal.

Sessa Estate Winey Assam .Chado Tea

description: “An outstanding tea featuring lots of golden tips, hearty, full bodied and rich yet very sweet and smooth with a round flavor. A completely satisfying Assam. Winey, Forceful and impressive.“

aspect: leaf variable size, some gold tips? (the lighter color leaves…i dont know) … some dust present, unpleasant.
coldwater: tablespoon! …15min … liquor is dark orange. ok… no assam maltiness… trying to get it to my wine tastebuds… it is smooth, i guess. fine. … i guess there is some faint wine reminder, i think in the aftertaste. goes well with sugar, theres not alot of bad sugar aftertaste.

another day: well, unless my water was tainted, i now sense a fruity smell off of the freshly hot brewed tea… 4min, taste is bitter first, sense some faint fruity aftertaste (among the bitterness, so its hard to distinguish). will have to check, clean pots and pans, i dont know where the fruity is from :P.

final: medium-low maltiness, bitterness present (bitter is not my favorite taste).

no.

New Vithanakanda SpclOP .Chado Tea

SpclOP (Extra Special Gold Tipped)

description:
“One of the finest teas out of Ceylon. Extra tippy and wirey leaf style. A limited production tea. Taste beyond description. A must try.“

the leaf is indead nice in aspect, ‘zebra’ stripped – some leaf sides have a light color.

my pic:

4 minutes fully bitter. need to better the infusion ‘technique’. has assam malty aftertaste!
smell: assam malty

3 minutes, less than boiling, very good, smooth taste, as said- malty 🙂 yum, like it.

maybe, but probably no.

Harmutty Estate Assam STGFOP .Chado Tea

Description: “A classic Assam with lots of golden tips brewing a hearty rich cupwith a wonderful taste. Smooth.“

this is assam? left 4-5min, bitter on side of tongue. no malty-ness… i hope he gave me the right tea
1 tsp 3 minutes exactly: maltiness 1/4, bitterness still there 😦 …

not on my top list.

NO.

Pure Assam .Taylors of Harrogate

update: 4-5min @ 194F : bitter 3/5, taninic 3/5, malty 1/5, smell: kind of malty muscaty-fermented something.
update: dont know wtf’s wrong with this, been storing it in ziploc, with dessicant, been a couple months, but damn, just brewed a filthy cup of shit. man, it was bad, i just hope the tea went bad, otherwise it is just filthy, tasted like some sort of warm dishwater fluid, arrgh.
50bags
~6$+tax

oh ASSAM my first assam
POOERH ?! coincidence ? …
not quite

but as soon as i opened the box a familiar odor emanated. On the box says muscat flavor. well i guess thats it.
not too bad
got it especially to try with milk (well half&half) and sugar.
result.

pretty good.
really nice red color, captivating.
smell ok

… i wana say maybe, but its… NO.

Assam TGFOP .Chado Tea

looseleaf ~ $1.25 /oz.

description:
“Assam TGFOP: A nice basic Assam with some golden tips. Like all Assams has robust, round and spicy flavor. Goes well with milk.”

brew in almost boiling water. forgot it for 5-7minutes.

not very bitter.

good strong flavor.

MALTY. very malty :),
alot maltier than Pure Assam (Taylors of Harrogate) which also gets pretty bitter if left too long.

taste some spicy-ness, not too much, a bit at the end of a sip.

put some sugar, tea now tastes like it was sweetened with honey or maple syrup.
good.

maybe.