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SimplyJenW drank Assam Breeze Black Tea by Teavana

985 tasting notes

Second tea of the morning…… (SRP #13)

Another Teavana sample courtesy of Fairyfli. (Thank you!)

I brewed up a pot of this not really knowing what to expect, but with a word like Assam in the name, I was thinking more along the lines of hard core black tea. There are lots of things in there….some black tea, some fruit pieces, some spice pods, lots of lemongrass. Really, I think I probably should have used more leaf (but I ran out….I still used over 3 perfect tsp for my pot…). The other thing I probably should have done is not paid attention that this was Assam. I was kind of looking for a good black tea to keep the morning moving. This is not that tea. It needs to be reclassified in my mind as a black, fruit, and herbal blend. And by using a similar amount of tea blend as I do to black tea, I am left with not much black tea flavor, but a whole lot of other going on. Notes of tropical flavors for sure, but the lemongrass is probably the foremost taste.

Usual teapot method, but with much less sweetening. It is a Teavana fruit blend, afterall.

Preparation

Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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My motto: Drink the good tea!

Tea enthusiast, trying to keep up my cardio for the zombie apocalypse. I have come to accept that I am a western brewing black tea drinker as that is where my ‘tea heart’ lies. I started on loose leaf as a way to have my dessert and not suffer the caloric issues. Once I tried it, I was hooked.

I drink what I like, which is mostly China blacks, a few traditionally scented blacks and Earl Greys, plus a flavored tea here and there. I don’t mind spending a bit on premium varieties on occasion, but an expensive tea has to deliver. My favorite places to order are Harney & Sons and Upton Tea Imports. TeaVivre is great for Chinese tea.

My ratings are pretty subjective. If it falls under 70, I may not take the time to post about it unless I had something specific to say. If it is 70-80 I like it, but I will probably not rebuy. Favorites are over 80 and up, but sometimes the less expensive or more easily obtainable version of a similar taste will win out for my cupboard space.

Usual teapot steeping method: 24 oz teapot, 3 perfect scoops of tea (4 1/2 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Usual mug steeping method: 15 oz mug, 1.5 perfect scoops of tea (just over 2 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Usual pan method: 1 1/2 cups water, 2 perfect tsp chai (3 actual tsp). Simmer for 3 minutes. Add 2/3 cup skim milk. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Strain and sweeten.

Usual pitcher method:
5 or 6 Perfect Spoons of tea (this means about 7-9 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, brewed essentially double-strong in my 24 oz teapot for 4 minutes. Fill my Fiestaware Disc pitcher (about 60 oz.) halfway with ice. Add brewed double-strong tea to the pitcher. Stir it a little and enjoy. No additions.

(*SRP is my Sample/Stash Reduction Plan starting on April 12, 2012. I got so far, but just decided it was too fussy to keep track.)