Assam Tea.

My sister just got back from a work trip to India and she brought me back goodies in the form of leaves....tea leaves! Today I tried the Assam tea. I wanted to tell you a little bit about tea and India that I learned from my Tea Book I mentioned in a previous post.

Tea trees were first discovered in Northeast India. Darjeeling and Assam are two of the most famous tea producing regions. There are many smaller regions that also produce tea to keep up with local demand. The Assam region is close to Burma and Bangladesh.

Assam has large, dark leaves and produces a full body tea. Back in 1860 the Orthodox method of processing tea was created by the British. It is a popular way to process black tea. The orthodox method consists of withering, rolling, oxidation, dehydration and sorting. Now for my impressions of this tea!

This isn't my first rodeo with Assam, but it is with this kind!

Look: The leaves look very similar to many black teas I've tried. In comparison to the tea I drink daily these leaves look a bit smaller and thinner.

Smell: The smell of the dry and brewed leaves was underwhelming. The smell was more like green tea, subtle and mellow. It's definitely not as fragrant as my earl grey and Ceylon mix.

Taste: The package says "English breakfast" and that is exactly what it tastes like! The flavor is very bold and stays on your tongue longer. It's a very heavy tea and a bit bitter. Adding some honey to this tea is PERFECT!

I hear you can try some great Assam tea from this shop :)

Have you ever had Assam? Do you have a specific type you like? Tell me about it in the comments!