Premium Taiwanese Assam

Getting down to the last bits of this tea. Will probably have to add the little bit left to something else in order to make a cup of it. This tea is one of the first straight black teas where I discovered that black teas could taste different than “black tea” and have interesting notes like malt and raisins. I’m now quite the lover of unflavored black teas and continue to be surprised and enjoy how absolutely different good black teas can taste, from cocoa and smoky notes, to sweet potato, honey, fruity, or even artichoke notes. I love them all! Now I have a hard time getting to the flavored teas in my cupboard because the unflavored ones are just so darn good!

Haha, had this again last night because I finally got my order of it, and even my mom likes it! Usually my mom doesn’t like my tea but evidently she liked this because she wouldn’t give me back the cup!! Awesome tea

Still delicious and flavourful. The fruitiness faded a little, but I think there’s a darker/nuttier edge to it that I didn’t notice before.

Man, I really miss Butiki. I’ve still got a small pile of their flavoured teas to finish up (whoops). I should probably stop hoarding those.

I should probably try and find a replacement Taiwanese Assam for when I finish this up…

Ok, so a verdict has been reached. I think I prefer the Taiwanese wild mountain black, and I can safely say I think I’ve given both teas a fair shake. For some reason, there’s a dryness (or at least that’s the only way I know how to describe it) to the PTA that I just don’t get from the mountain black. Then again, let’s be real here: how exactly do you choose anything over a straight black tea that still somehow tastes like waffles? so, although I’m glad I tried this, my bank account will be grateful that I don’t actually need to order both this and the mountain black. Oh, and I brewed the PTA for like six or seven minutes this morning, and used about 3 tsp for 12 oz of water. All I have left to do this weekend is continue playing with caramel vanilla assam and the maple pecan oolong, and I should be ready to place my next order!

In other news, I’m completely and utterly exhausted today at work. It’s only 9:00, and I could seriously just lie on my office floor and take a nap. I hope to whoever’s listening that this day passes quickly; I feel as though I need a weekend so desperately. When my alarm clock jarred me into consciousness this morning, I was seriously confused and wondered what all the racket was in the middle of the night, and then came the sinking realization that it wasn’t the middle of the night, and I had to haul my lazy butt out of bed. Ugggh.

My second Butiki for the day. It is a “Ten” weather wise here in Atlanta, and I think I need to move outside for tea tasting this afternoon-perfect tea drinking weather, but then again, there is never a bad day to drink tea. Others have described this excellent Assam very accurately. I am grateful this sample came in my box from Stacy, but I regret not having more because it is a winner. I would say that this is a rich tea that does not have the astringency that I have experienced with the Indian Assams I’ve tried, but I must admit, I haven’t had a lot of Indian ones. I agree with Azzrian, this in not your mother’s Lipton. Until I tried some black teas recommended on Steepster, I didn’t even know I liked black teas because my mom always got Lipton tea bags and it never did much for me. Lately, I’ve been favoring black teas over almost anything else. My first impression is that it is a really good Assam and I plan to put it on my next order. Now, on to Butiki #3-which one will it be…hmmm…

Sipdown, sadly…this is a real gem of a tea, and I thank cavocorax for the pleasure of a few steeps of this one. Although I really do prefer Caramel Vanilla Assam over this, this one is so smooth, so amazingly balanced, not astringent, with some sweetness…it is one amazing tea, for sure. It’s one of the few black teas I can drink straight, with only a small amount of sugar. Usually, I add milk with black teas, and it is probably to cut the astringency, I now know.

Today I’ve been working my way through some as-yet-untasted teas from my last Butiki order. I started off with Irish Breakfast and moved onto this tea. It’s malty, but not wildly so. There’s some honey – fortunately for me, it’s not too strong. I’m also getting some fruitiness – maybe stone fruit? When I took my first sip of this I noticed some apricot, but it’s subsided to the point where I’m not sure if I might have just imagined it. Reading other reviews, I see lots of mentions of chocolate or cocoa notes. I don’t think I would’ve picked these out on my own – the cocoa’s nothing like as strong as it is in, say, Laoshan Black – but they’re definitely present.

This strikes me as not entirely unlike Butiki’s Irish Breakfast (although that’s not pure Assam). The PTA is more refined and complex, but I think I like both about equally. Irish Breakfast’s bolder and maltier and – unsurprisingly – strikes me as a good wake-up choice, while this one’s more delicate (by Assam standards, anyway) and seems suited to a leisurely afternoon.

Okay, I need to try to make this a quick note b/c I need to get back to work.

Watching this infuse is a real treat: the leaves open up beautifully! Steeped color is a gorgeous red-brown.

And it’s very, very tasty. No bitterness or unpleasant astringency at all. Incredibly smooth, malty, and… almost caramel-y? I know this is unflavored, but I’m getting an aftertaste that almost reminds me of a caramel-flavored black. YUM! I’m definitely getting sweet potato in there too.

This is my new go-to when I’m craving an unflavored tea. It’s really incredible.

I know Stacy gives very careful consideration to determining her brewing recommendations for each tea. Thus, I brewed this single-serving Assam tea sample exactly per her directions on the sample bag: 2 tsps. / 8 oz. / 212*F / 4-min. It did not even occur to me to consider a longer steep time at this time. No sweeteners, milk or cream were used.

Dry leaf: The longest length dark brown leaves I’ve ever seen. I had to use an extra-large infuser to accommodate them.

Liquor: Bright clear & coppery – Beautiful!

Aroma: Subtle and very pleasing

4-Min.: This tea was a extremely smooth, light-to-medium bodied, mildly malty Assam that provided a rich yet delicate full mouth feel that lingered long on the tongue. Truly a very special Assam! There was zero bitterness or astringency.

Impression: An Assam with an extremely refined character!

I would definitely welcome another sample of this Assam to try a longer steep time as I typically prefer robust Assam teas. However, this exceptional Assam might change my mind.

Thanks to Stacy at Butiki Teas for providing this free tea sample.

Alright. Got a late start this morning, but here goes!

When people say these two teas (Premium Taiwanese Assam & Premium Taiwanese Assam Upgrade) are two separate and unique teas they are right! Even just from the smell I can tell they’re different. While they share some similar malty aspects, they have some differing profiles.

This tea smells very interesting. Malty, sweet, and slightly spicy – that’s my overall impression. Probably most noticeable are the chocolate notes: rich and milky. Following that are the spicy notes: cinnamon for sure, but also clove-like. I’m also getting some leafy/hay-ish notes in the scent.
YUM. I don’t even really like chocolate, but this tea smells amazing.

WOW. This is so different from black teas I’ve had before. I don’t know if I oversteeped it or not (I admittedly got distracted), so I may have to brew up another pot to double check, but I do like this regardless. This is what I’d call a breakfast tea, although it isn’t overly bitter/astringent like breakfast teas I’ve had and disliked. The spice notes are clear throughout, with the clove being a bit more pronounced than the cinnamon – it kinda sits on your tongue after the sip. Also in the aftertaste is a smooth, creamy chocolate. Interesting. The malty aspect is also prominent throughout the sip, giving this a bit of a heavy mouthfeel. I’m liking the sweetness in the cup – it isn’t overt, but it leaves an overall impression. It mixes very nicely with a very slight astringent bite and the spices. The leaf/hay notes I picked up in the smell do come across in the taste, mostly at the back of the sip. They provide a nice earthy aspect that really ties in nicely with all the other flavors going on in this tea.
What I’m finding most interesting right now is that the upgraded version of this tea was what I’d consider savory, while this one is…not. I don’t know that I’d exactly call it sweet, even though there is a definite sweetness in the sip. But it isn’t exactly savory either. I suppose it lies in the middle somewhere. If this doesn’t speak for these two teas being separate beings, I don’t know what does.

I’ve really enjoyed this tea. It’s bolder than I usually dare to go with blacks (I’m learning to be less hesitant), but it is so nicely balanced and flavorful and surprisingly UN-BITTER and smooth. I may just have to make this on my go to breakfast tea. So yummy and so unique!